Nostr notes by Adam Isacson

For Politico, silence in the face of a genocide threat is a ...

2026-04-08T13:45:19Z

For *Politico*, silence in the face of a genocide threat is a savvy political maneuver.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/inside-congress/2026/04/08/dems-ready-war-powers-vote-after-trump-threat-00863297

See now, anyone who has ever actually read a book from beginning ...

2026-04-08T13:16:54Z

See now, anyone who has ever actually read a book from beginning to end—fiction, non-fiction, doesn't matter—knows what happens after a character says this.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html

Dear active members of the U.S. military and intelligence forces: ...

2026-04-07T19:32:10Z

Dear active members of the U.S. military and intelligence forces: an order to kill an entire civilization is the very definition of an illegal order. Please remember your training, your conscience, and your humanity.

Historians will marvel at this part of the Trump ...

2026-04-04T14:03:33Z

Historians will marvel at this part of the Trump administration's National Security Strategy, published 4 months ago.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf

Here's the latest WOLA Border Update: - Migrant encounter ...

2026-04-03T14:23:15Z

Here's the latest WOLA Border Update:

- Migrant encounter data
- DHS remains partially shut down
- DHS has new management, same mission
- Deaths in ICE custody
- Mounting evidence of harm to children
- Updates about deportations
- Asylum and TPS in the courts
- Border walls and buoys

https://www.wola.org/2026/04/u-s-mexico-border-update-migration-data-dhs-shutdown-and-new-management-abuses-in-ice-custody-border-walls/

En español: ...

2026-04-02T19:50:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…ws0t
_________________________

En español: https://www.wola.org/es/analysis/trump-actuacion-conjunta/

New from me: The Trump administration’s “kinetic warrior” ...

2026-04-02T19:21:28Z

New from me: The Trump administration’s “kinetic warrior” posture in Latin America is off to a poor start: blowing up civilians on motorboats, torturing people on farms, directly participating in hostilities, and doubling down on long-discredited “drug war” tactics.

https://www.wola.org/analysis/trump-joint-targeting-rethink/

I want to add this to my "uninvestigated, zero-consequence ...

2026-04-01T18:17:59Z

I want to add this to my "uninvestigated, zero-consequence indicators of toxic organizational culture at CBP and Border Patrol" file, but it's already full to bursting and I can't close the drawer

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/4509505/border-patrol-chief-michael-banks-prostitution-allegations-by-agents/

A propaganda victory for Russia. They get to portray themselves ...

2026-03-30T13:06:09Z

A propaganda victory for Russia. They get to portray themselves as humanitarians, giving the Cuban people a respite from blackouts, amid US oil blockade, causing ventilators to fail in Cuban hospitals.

Plus, they get to show there's apparently a "Russia carve-out" to Trump's version of the Monroe Doctrine.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/world/americas/cuba-russian-oil-tanlker.html

2 break-ins over 4 days at Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray ...

2026-03-25T16:06:36Z

2 break-ins over 4 days at Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova, the humanitarian legal aid center in Tapachula, near Mexico's southern border. Case documentation stolen. No comment from authorities.

If unanswered, a big risk of more serious attacks on migrants' rights defenders.

https://www.chiapasparalelo.com/noticias/chiapas/2026/03/centro-de-apoyo-a-migrantes-en-tapachula-es-doblemente-allanada-y-su-equipo-robado/

Let’s also note that a “War” Department that can’t tell a ...

2026-03-25T15:02:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…yg4n
_________________________

Let’s also note that a “War” Department that can’t tell a “narco-terrorist camp” from a dairy farm has been insisting that we take their word—no evidence furnished—that all 160 people killed in 43 boat strikes were drug traffickers.

https://adamisacson.com/boat-strikes/

If a foreign military unit is credibly alleged to commit gross ...

2026-03-25T15:02:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…sn5s
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If a foreign military unit is credibly alleged to commit gross human rights violations like torture, and effective measures aren’t happening to hold members accountable, it’s illegal for the U.S. government to aid that unit—much less operate alongside it.

See Sec. 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act: the Leahy Law: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:22%20section:2378d%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title22-section2378d)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

A New York Times article yesterday, reporting that U.S. forces ...

2026-03-25T15:01:39Z

A New York Times article yesterday, reporting that U.S. forces helped Ecuador bomb what turned out to be a dairy farm, includes these *very* serious allegations of torture.

Torture _during a military operation in which US personnel participated_.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/world/americas/us-ecuador-drug-camp-bombing-dairy-farm.html

https://statemag.state.gov/2020/12/1220ib04/

2026-03-24T12:24:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…04yl
_________________________

https://statemag.state.gov/2020/12/1220ib04/

CNN reports that the military plane that crashed in southern ...

2026-03-24T12:13:42Z

CNN reports that the military plane that crashed in southern Colombia yesterday was a 1965-vintage C-130H Hercules "donated to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020." (https://cnn.it/4t5DHKm)

Here's the donation, in DOD's Excess Defense Articles database, one of a few C-130s transferred to Colombia through this program (https://bit.ly/eda-dbase):

If you're waiting for signs that Southcom's lethal boat ...

2026-03-23T16:55:27Z

If you're waiting for signs that Southcom's lethal boat strikes have affected cocaine supplies… keep waiting.

Source: bit.ly/cbp-drug-seizures

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week ...

2026-03-23T01:19:11Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

15 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-105/

I now count 160 people extrajudicially executed in 43 different ...

2026-03-21T16:00:33Z

I now count 160 people extrajudicially executed in 43 different US military attacks in the Caribbean and Pacific since September 2025.

https://adamisacson.com/boat-strikes/

Here are 3 items since Thursday about border security, migration, ...

2026-03-21T15:24:43Z

Here are 3 items since Thursday about border security, migration, and human rights:

- Our latest Border Update, very thorough: bit.ly/2026-03-20_wola-bu
- Our report on the collapse of internal oversight at DHS: bit.ly/void-report
- Video of that report’s launch event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpV-dJAJC4Q

A bit more detail: almost all of the increase in Border Patrol ...

2026-03-21T02:29:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…yjax
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A bit more detail: almost all of the increase in Border Patrol apprehensions was single adults.

In this week's WOLA Border Update: Sen. Mullin to replace ...

2026-03-20T21:06:44Z

In this week's WOLA Border Update:

Sen. Mullin to replace Noem at DHS as partial shutdown continues. Timeline may slow for detention “warehouse” plan, while in-custody deaths skyrocket. Concerns about oversight of DHS, and about the border wall and natural areas.

https://www.wola.org/2026/03/u-s-mexico-border-update-dhs-leadership-and-oversight-detention-deaths-and-warehouses-border-wall-in-natural-areas/

Looks like a seasonal uptick in migrant encounters at the border. ...

2026-03-20T20:20:21Z

Looks like a seasonal uptick in migrant encounters at the border. If so, expect March to be greater.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/nationwide-encounters

Our report is here: ...

2026-03-20T15:43:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…d8us
_________________________

Our report is here: https://www.wola.org/analysis/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Here's video of yesterday's event and report launch, one ...

2026-03-20T15:43:11Z

Here's video of yesterday's event and report launch, one year after the Trump administration gutted DHS's internal civil rights, civil liberties, and detention oversight offices. https://youtu.be/KpV-dJAJC4Q

Left: the very top of the Trump campaign's 2024 platform. ...

2026-03-20T13:21:29Z

Left: the very top of the Trump campaign's 2024 platform.
Right: how that's going.

Nothing's won yet, but this is real momentum, and we should feel good about it.

While some key Democrats get credit, the top party leadership really doesn't. Americans everywhere are pushing back, and it's working.

John Fetterman just carried Markwayne Mulllin's nomination ...

2026-03-19T20:54:37Z

John Fetterman just carried Markwayne Mulllin's nomination through the Homeland Security Committee, voting "yes" when Republican Committee Chairman Rand Paul voted "no."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/03/19/mullin-trump-dhs-senate-confirmation/

At a time of a massive buildup of arrests, detentions, and ...

2026-03-19T17:29:03Z

At a time of a massive buildup of arrests, detentions, and deportations, look what the Trump administration did to the staff at DHS's internal human rights watchdogs.

This happened a year ago Saturday. Read our report: https://bit.ly/void-report

Our new report with Kino Border Initiative, "Denouncing Into ...

2026-03-19T16:50:46Z

Our new report with Kino Border Initiative, "Denouncing Into the Void: The Dismantling of Internal Oversight and Accountability at DHS," is *now live*.

Read it here: https://www.wola.org/analysis/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Attend our launch webinar at 2:00 Eastern: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Join us at 2:00 tomorrow to discuss the crisis of internal ...

2026-03-18T21:46:34Z

Join us at 2:00 tomorrow to discuss the crisis of internal oversight at DHS. It's a good report (IMHO), and it should be a worthwhile event.

RSVP at https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116245627663801496 This time ...

2026-03-18T17:37:44Z

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116245627663801496

This time tomorrow:

quoting
note1jz0…vghz

One year ago, DHS gutted its own internal civil rights, civil liberties, and detention watchdogs. We're hosting a webinar Thursday to mark the anniversary and discuss what's happened since.

Sign-ups are robust so far. Please join us: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

One year ago, DHS gutted its own internal civil rights, civil ...

2026-03-17T17:11:51Z

One year ago, DHS gutted its own internal civil rights, civil liberties, and detention watchdogs. We're hosting a webinar Thursday to mark the anniversary and discuss what's happened since.

Sign-ups are robust so far. Please join us: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Webinar Thursday: 1 year ago, just as "mass deportation" ...

2026-03-16T15:48:15Z

Webinar Thursday: 1 year ago, just as "mass deportation" was getting underway, the admin gutted DHS's internal oversight agencies. A new report documents what happened next, and how to recover.

RSVP here: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Exactly a year ago right now, we were trying to understand what ...

2026-03-16T11:01:58Z

Exactly a year ago right now, we were trying to understand what had happened to hundreds whom the Trump administration had hustled onto planes to El Salvador, with zero due process, in defiance of a federal judge's order.

Then this cringe tweet appeared. Then Rubio confirmed it.

Do not forget.

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week ...

2026-03-16T01:12:20Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

10 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-104/

yeah, that did put me in "now or never" mode.

2026-03-14T21:49:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…6kxt
_________________________

yeah, that did put me in "now or never" mode.

Convinced that supply issues aren't going to get any better ...

2026-03-14T20:55:34Z

Convinced that supply issues aren't going to get any better (AI bubble, Iran war, fuel prices), I just ordered a new desktop — the best I can afford — even though my current one could probably last another year.

Apple will have it ready for me by… July 7.

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116211740083370799 Here is video of ...

2026-03-13T17:23:22Z

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116211740083370799

Here is video of this great discussion with Laura Dib and Francisco Monaldi about why Venezuela's oil sector won't advance without the rule of law, and why the rule of law in turn depends on democracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSEXjc_qDN4

quoting
note16t3…l8dg

New WOLA Podcast:

Expectations are rising in Venezuela, but they will not be met without transparency, accountability, democracy, and the rule of law. Yet the Trump administration appears focused narrowly on oil production.

Here's a great conversation with Francisco Monaldi and Laura Dib: https://www.wola.org/multimedia/oil-and-the-rule-of-law-in-venezuela/

Amid violent arrests, detention deaths, harm to children…is ...

2026-03-12T20:03:41Z

Amid violent arrests, detention deaths, harm to children…is there any place where victims of ICE and CBP abuses can get redress?

Or, since the Trump administration gutted DHS’s oversight offices last March 21st, are they “denouncing into the void?”

Join us for a report launch next Thursday: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

Also—and also partially about Venezuela—we've just posted ...

2026-03-11T17:42:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…aha5
_________________________

Also—and also partially about Venezuela—we've just posted the video version of last week's episode about environmental organized crime, with Mark Ungar. (Con títulos en español.)

We're putting out some very good stuff, with more to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij6oiHBun7s

New WOLA Podcast: Expectations are rising in Venezuela, but they ...

2026-03-11T17:33:48Z

New WOLA Podcast:

Expectations are rising in Venezuela, but they will not be met without transparency, accountability, democracy, and the rule of law. Yet the Trump administration appears focused narrowly on oil production.

Here's a great conversation with Francisco Monaldi and Laura Dib: https://www.wola.org/multimedia/oil-and-the-rule-of-law-in-venezuela/

March 21 will be 1 year since this administration fired nearly ...

2026-03-10T18:05:17Z

March 21 will be 1 year since this administration fired nearly everyone at DHS’s internal oversight offices handling civil rights complaints, detention violations, and more. A year of rising violations—and victims now have far less recourse.

WOLA and the Kino Border Initiative will release a report and host an event to mark this. Join us next Thursday: https://www.wola.org/events/denouncing-into-the-void-the-dismantling-of-internal-oversight-and-accountability-at-dhs/

- 158 people killed in 188 days. Guilt for a non-capital crime ...

2026-03-09T01:45:14Z

- 158 people killed in 188 days. Guilt for a non-capital crime unknown.
- 42 separate attacks.
- 27 in the Eastern Pacific. 13 in the Caribbean. 2 unspecified.
- 17 listed as at Donald Trump's orders. 16 at Pete Hegseth's orders. The last 9 at the orders of Southcom's Gen. Francis Donovan.

4 of the 6 most populous countries in Latin America, 3 of them ...

2026-03-07T19:52:45Z

4 of the 6 most populous countries in Latin America, 3 of them with groups on the State Department's "terrorist list," were not present for Donald Trump's "counter-cartel" summit in Florida today.

"Business as usual—which means state-sponsored extraction ...

2026-03-06T21:07:28Z

"Business as usual—which means state-sponsored extraction with organized crime."

Listen to our latest podcast with Mark Ungar about the organized crime-tied corruption poisoning the Amazon in Venezuela and beyond. The January 3 US attack changed nothing.

https://www.wola.org/multimedia/its-so-seamlessly-blended-into-the-regular-economy-that-its-hard-to-pull-out-environmental-organized-crime-in-venezuela-and-throughout-the-americas/

In the latest Border Update from WOLA: Kristi Noem leaves DHS in ...

2026-03-06T20:39:56Z

In the latest Border Update from WOLA:

Kristi Noem leaves DHS in turmoil. Border walls may be coming to Big Bend National Park. 10 people have died this year in ICE's rapidly expanding detention system. ICE training cut from 72 to 42 days. New reports from Mexico.

Read on: https://www.wola.org/2026/03/u-s-mexico-border-update-turmoil-at-dhs-big-bend-border-wall-ice-detention-deaths-and-expansion/

At $5,357 per day, that's almost exactly what it would cost ...

2026-03-06T15:07:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…gqpn
_________________________

At $5,357 per day, that's almost exactly what it would cost to book the Ambassador Suite tonight at the Four Seasons in Washington DC's Georgetown neighborhood.

It cost a combined $53,098,863.70 to detain 708 migrants at ...

2026-03-06T14:52:36Z

It cost a combined $53,098,863.70 to detain 708 migrants at Guantánamo in 2025.

That's $74,998.40 per person—for an average stay of 14 days.

Source: Defense Department IG report at https://www.dodig.mil/reports.html/Article/4418859/operation-southern-guard-osg/

Venezuela's Orinoco Mining Arc—like too much of the Amazon ...

2026-03-05T18:46:39Z

Venezuela's Orinoco Mining Arc—like too much of the Amazon basin—is being poisoned by a violent nexus of criminal groups, corrupt military officers, and crooked politicians. Despite the January 3 U.S. raid, nothing has changed.

In a new podcast, Brooklyn College's Mark Ungar explains how environmental organized crime has become so seamlessly blended into the regular economy that it's nearly impossible to root out.

https://www.wola.org/multimedia/its-so-seamlessly-blended-into-the-regular-economy-that-its-hard-to-pull-out-environmental-organized-crime-in-venezuela-and-throughout-the-americas/

Just 2 senators didn't vote with their party on ...

2026-03-05T14:21:33Z

Just 2 senators didn't vote with their party on yesterday's Iran war powers resolution:

- Rand Paul (R-KY) voted with the Democrats, as he has on past Venezuela and "boat strikes" resolutions
- John Fetterman (D-PA) voted with the Republicans, as he did on a "boat strikes" resolution

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00046.htm

I'm putting together a presentation, and came across this old ...

2026-03-04T21:03:25Z

I'm putting together a presentation, and came across this old slide with headlines about Border Patrol human rights allegations from late 2021 and early 2022.

This sort of thing used to be confined to the border zone, but now it's national.

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 7 ...

2026-03-02T02:22:07Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

7 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-103/

If just 1 or 2 Republican senators had voted to assert ...

2026-02-28T13:23:43Z

If just 1 or 2 Republican senators had voted to assert congressional war powers on "lethal boat strikes" and Venezuela, this White House wouldn't have taken it as a green light to start a new war today on the president's whim.

(From https://adamisacson.com/tracking-war-powers-resolution-votes-in-congress/)

At a time when so many big institutions and corporations have ...

2026-02-27T14:01:25Z

At a time when so many big institutions and corporations have been caving to authoritarian bullying, I thank Anthropic for not doing that.

Those of us who remember the Cold War recall that it was the _other side_ that would order firms to produce things at their command.

Looks like DOD mistook a CBP drone for a party balloon. The ...

2026-02-27T12:09:43Z

Looks like DOD mistook a CBP drone for a party balloon.

The anti-drone lasers seem to work pretty well. The people? Not so much.

https://democrats-homeland.house.gov/news/press-releases/ranking-members-larsen-thompson-and-carson-statement-after-dod-reportedly-shot-down-cbp-drone

Invamer poll of #Colombia (long time series, reasonably ...

2026-02-26T18:21:19Z

Invamer poll of #Colombia (long time series, reasonably well-regarded) has Gustavo Petro with positive approval for first time since the very beginning of his term.

https://www.valoraanalitik.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1003988375-Colombia-Opina-No-20-1.pdf

“2026 was always shaping up to be a transformational year for ...

2026-02-25T18:10:48Z

“2026 was always shaping up to be a transformational year for immigration detention, but few people anticipated this level of change… The system of detention which has existed for generations may be fundamentally transformed into something even more sinister and more prone to abuses than ever.”

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-buys-warehouses-immigration-detention/

This is just February. 25 dead in 19 days. Do not get numb to ...

2026-02-23T20:09:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…4v8c
_________________________

This is just February. 25 dead in 19 days. Do not get numb to this.

Southcom just announced its 3rd lethal boat strike in the ...

2026-02-23T19:54:39Z

Southcom just announced its 3rd lethal boat strike in the Caribbean in an 11-day period.

Here's something Marco Rubio said about the Caribbean back in December. (https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/12/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-the-press-6)

This "boat strike" policy, while revoltingly criminal, isn't even having its vaunted deterrent effect.

"The Illegality is Not a Bug, It's a Feature." ...

2026-02-23T17:24:31Z

"The Illegality is Not a Bug, It's a Feature."

Here's the video version (con títulos en español) of last week's podcast episode on illegal lethal boat strikes, featuring WOLA's drug policy program director, John Walsh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxutRdtKhZM

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 6 ...

2026-02-23T02:41:09Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere:

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-102/

We can expect a short-term (or maybe more than short-term) spike ...

2026-02-22T19:30:12Z

We can expect a short-term (or maybe more than short-term) spike in violence after today's killing of organized crime boss Nemesio Oseguera in Mexico. The country's most powerful cartel could fragment. Competitors may see an opportunity.

"Taking out top bad guys" gets huge resources. Breaking corrupt links to government, governing with accountability, and pursuing alternatives to prohibition (which inflates drug profits) do not. So expect violence.

Here's video to accompany this week's Border Update. ...

2026-02-22T01:43:09Z

Here's video to accompany this week's Border Update.

00:00 Introduction
01:46 Cartel drones, laser weapons, and the El Paso airspace closure
07:01 DHS shutdown spotlights need for reform at border and migration agencies
19:06 Migrant detention expansion raises alarms
32:16 Border wall plans raise environmental and cultural concerns
35:07 Fewest child and family migrants since at least 2011, according to January CBP data
40:18 Other news

https://youtu.be/OGjzemiMsmY

With 3 more killed in the eastern Pacific yesterday, February is ...

2026-02-21T16:16:16Z

With 3 more killed in the eastern Pacific yesterday, February is now the third-bloodiest month of the Trump-Hegseth-Southcom lethal boat strikes campaign.

The screenshot is from https://www.wola.org/2025/11/us-military-strikes-trump-drugs-caribbean/

The recently passed foreign aid bill is bad, but we averted a ...

2026-02-20T18:22:18Z

The recently passed foreign aid bill is bad, but we averted a total disaster because "Congress—in a bipartisan way—asserted the legislative branch’s independence," explains WOLA's Maureen Meyer. "Now, it must do the hard work of enforcing that assertion."

https://www.wola.org/analysis/breaking-down-the-2026-budget-congress-charts-its-own-course-on-u-s-foreign-assistance-and-policy-priorities/

Here's the "In Brief" summary at the beginning of ...

2026-02-20T16:58:23Z

Here's the "In Brief" summary at the beginning of this week's WOLA Border Update.

Follow the link for the whole thing: https://www.wola.org/2026/02/u-s-mexico-border-update-anti-drone-weapons-dhs-shutdown-detention-warehouses-border-wall-january-data/

Someone let the penguins of the Heard and McDonald Islands know ...

2026-02-20T16:00:17Z

Someone let the penguins of the Heard and McDonald Islands know that their long ordeal is coming to an end.

Great news about the Supreme Court tariff decision. Now do the ...

2026-02-20T15:36:56Z

Great news about the Supreme Court tariff decision. Now do the same for some of these.

(from https://adamisacson.com/litigation/)

Nostr event nevent1qqstyhk5gve4jp60ujr2zj3573d8wm7zxkw7x466352ps3nlyrun2ggzyr30nj3h0npu3atgnwj5c4tage4hd569swysqls8s2zr9hpsjggf5zx0fjf

2026-02-20T01:03:58Z

Chart: https://borderoversight.org/2026/02/19/unaccompanied-children-and-families-apprehended-at-the-u-s-border/

Data table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M2DVwvN2WN2k-Y6593ACQG_qOUVMAw7Bq35nctnXmWk/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Now that asylum/protection at the US-Mexico border is gone ...

2026-02-20T01:02:51Z

Now that asylum/protection at the US-Mexico border is gone (illegal but true), and now that suffering abuse inside the US is probable, only 627 child/family migrants entered Border Patrol custody in January—the fewest for which we have records (since October 2011).

That makes 146 people killed by the Trump administration's ...

2026-02-18T19:56:18Z

That makes 146 people killed by the Trump administration's illegal boat strikes since September. 19 so far in February.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-military-strikes-3-alleged-drug-boats-killing-11-people/

This is the latest of 4 WOLA podcast episodes so far this year. ...

2026-02-17T18:43:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…ghvq
_________________________

This is the latest of 4 WOLA podcast episodes so far this year. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (search for "Latin America"), or check out episodes here: https://www.wola.org/multimedia/type/podcast/

3 more attacks yesterday, 11 dead—February is on track to be ...

2026-02-17T18:14:12Z

3 more attacks yesterday, 11 dead—February is on track to be the 3rd-deadliest month of illegal US boat strikes. We must never normalize this, warns WOLA’s latest podcast with drug policy director John Walsh: https://www.wola.org/multimedia/dont-let-boat-strikes-fade-into-the-background/

Extrajudicial executions per 7 days:
Sept: 4.0
Oct: 10.4
Nov: 4.9
Dec: 9.0
Jan: 0.7
Feb (1-16): 7.9

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 3 ...

2026-02-17T02:23:01Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

3 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-101/

Last week, we learned what a high-energy laser can do to a party ...

2026-02-16T13:37:53Z

Last week, we learned what a high-energy laser can do to a party balloon. It’s a new week, so we’ll no doubt be learning some new dumb thing any moment now.

"A surge of children in ICE detention." "Plus, your ...

2026-02-14T21:22:06Z

"A surge of children in ICE detention."

"Plus, your Friday news quiz."

That's… quite a journey.

36 attacks, at least 134 people killed. Extrajudicial executions ...

2026-02-14T15:25:19Z

36 attacks, at least 134 people killed.

Extrajudicial executions per week, monthly average:

September 4.1
October 10.4
November 4.9
December 9.0
January 0.7
February 3.8

See https://www.wola.org/2025/11/us-military-strikes-trump-drugs-caribbean/

This is futile. It’s not about the coca eradication ...

2026-02-14T14:27:48Z

This is futile. It’s not about the coca eradication method—it’s about state presence in areas where coca is grown.

Drones spraying herbicides are the opposite of presence: robots aren't a government. When they leave, farmers can wash off or cut back the plants, then keep cultivating.

And when the government isn’t around, taking out a drone is trivial. One more broken tool in a broken policy.

35 attacks and 131 deaths later, we’re normalizing the US’s ...

2026-02-13T16:15:17Z

35 attacks and 131 deaths later, we’re normalizing the US’s illegal boat strikes—erasing the dead as "narco-terrorists" while failing even to address drug supplies. Some in the US military are growing comfortable with this.

But the slippery slope is clear: impunity breeds escalation, and the cost is human lives and the rule of law—perhaps at home.

https://www.wola.org/analysis/the-boat-strikes-are-still-happening-five-things-you-need-to-know/

At this morning’s House Judiciary hearing, AG Bondi added to ...

2026-02-11T21:27:14Z

At this morning’s House Judiciary hearing, AG Bondi added to her opening statement: “As we sit here…the news is reporting that cartel drones are being shot down by our military.”

Turns out that even this part of her statement was inaccurate.

From https://apnews.com/live/faa-el-paso-texas-air-space-closed-updates

Was it a miscommunication with FAA about a DOD anti-drone ...

2026-02-11T19:04:42Z

Was it a miscommunication with FAA about a DOD anti-drone exercise?
Was it a drone incursion from Mexican org crime?
Those happen often: was there something unusual?
Why close airspace for 10 days?
How did the "cartel drones shot down by the US military" story quickly make it into Bondi's opening statement at today's House hearing?

Mexican traffickers post "halcones" (human lookouts) at ...

2026-02-11T15:07:12Z

Mexican traffickers post "halcones" (human lookouts) at the border to watch for US authorities.

You can see how a $700 drone purchased on Amazon might be useful for that.

We can't confirm, but it's possible they closed El Paso airspace because of $700 Amazon drones.

NewsNation claiming that organized crime drones—almost ...

2026-02-11T14:48:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…3sun
_________________________

NewsNation claiming that organized crime drones—almost certainly unarmed—may have entered US airspace.

This is a real issue (New Mexico's Dem-majority legislature is considering a bill about it [ https://bit.ly/4clZcBd ]).

But why close airspace for 10 days for "secret reasons?"

Could they have possibly handled this any worse? ...

2026-02-11T14:20:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…pgrk
_________________________

Could they have possibly handled this any worse?

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/11/us/faa-el-paso-flights-airport/c7efdca8-1d52-59c3-83f0-3c9c2dfbd106?smid=url-share

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116052385541233183 "Never ...

2026-02-11T14:20:00Z

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116052385541233183

"Never mind," I guess?

https://apnews.com/live/faa-el-paso-texas-air-space-closed-updates

quoting
note1g8y…jc86

The El Paso-Las Cruces combined statistical area has 1.1 million people, the 56th largest in the US, and no nearby cities.

Shutting its airspace for 10 days without explanation is unacceptable. Asking questions and demanding answers is our civic duty in a democracy.

It’s reasonable to wonder if this relates to an attack on a ...

2026-02-11T14:08:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…rff3
_________________________

It’s reasonable to wonder if this relates to an attack on a target in Mexico. Maybe, but the administration could act without shutting down a major metro area. (In a red state, in a region that is a red congressional district in the east.)

Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua have organized crime, but fentanyl seizures in El Paso are infrequent, and El Paso doesn’t lead border regions in seizures of any drug.

The El Paso-Las Cruces combined statistical area has 1.1 million ...

2026-02-11T14:07:51Z

The El Paso-Las Cruces combined statistical area has 1.1 million people, the 56th largest in the US, and no nearby cities.

Shutting its airspace for 10 days without explanation is unacceptable. Asking questions and demanding answers is our civic duty in a democracy.

That should be "September 2025 - February 2026" in the ...

2026-02-10T02:49:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…4vh8
_________________________

That should be "September 2025 - February 2026" in the graphic. I'm pretty sure I know what year it is, though they're definitely starting to blend together.

Southcom killed 2 more in the Eastern Pacific today, bringing the ...

2026-02-10T02:22:36Z

Southcom killed 2 more in the Eastern Pacific today, bringing the total to at least 131 civilians killed by the United States with no due process, in 35 attacks over 5 months. Plus 1 survivor today, likely unrecoverable.

Only a very sick nation would do this.

23 attacks in the Eastern Pacific, 10 in the Caribbean, 2 unspecified. See https://adamisacson.com/boat-strikes/

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 6 ...

2026-02-09T15:53:42Z

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week

6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.

https://adamisacson.com/latin-america-related-events-in-washington-and-online-this-week-100/

Are people really going to watch football after that? That's ...

2026-02-09T01:37:16Z

Are people really going to watch football after that? That's like fancy dinner, cocktails, dancing… then answering email for two hours.

Tonight will make 2 weeks since this snow fell in DC. ...

2026-02-07T21:50:51Z

Tonight will make 2 weeks since this snow fell in DC.

In the latest WOLA Border Update: - ICE is setting up warehouses ...

2026-02-06T22:56:10Z

In the latest WOLA Border Update:

- ICE is setting up warehouses to store people.
- The Minneapolis killings triggered a wave of calls for deep reform at DHS.
- Democrats are demanding some reforms as a Feb 13 DHS shutdown approaches.
- Courts considered mandatory detention and TPS.

https://www.wola.org/2026/02/u-s-mexico-border-update-detention-warehouses-dhs-organizational-culture-impending-shudown-tps/

Average monthly seizures October 23-August 25: 5,688 pounds ...

2026-02-06T11:55:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…kvdq
_________________________

Average monthly seizures October 23-August 25: 5,688 pounds

Average monthly seizures September 25-January 26 ("boat strikes" period): 6,178 pounds

Here's CBP's recent cocaine seizures, including this new ...

2026-02-06T11:47:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…8fas
_________________________

Here's CBP's recent cocaine seizures, including this new data.

5 months and now 129 deaths into the "lethal boat strikes" operation: I can't see how they've moved the needle on the amount of cocaine being detected.

Tab-separated data in alt text. Source links in lower right.

All prior boat-strike announcements credited President Trump or ...

2026-02-06T10:33:48Z

All prior boat-strike announcements credited President Trump or Secretary Hegseth.

This is the first for which Southcom's commander assumes responsibility for one of these extrajudicial killings. The Senate just confirmed Gen. Donovan, on January 30.

34 known strikes, >=129 dead.

They killed >127 people aboard boats, in 33 attacks, in 5 ...

2026-02-05T18:56:43Z

They killed >127 people aboard boats, in 33 attacks, in 5 months.

And the amount of cocaine found at the land border keeps _increasing_.

All they have to show for it is a collection of gruesome videos.

From CBP: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/historic-9th-straight-month-zero-releases-border

February 2. One month ago today (January 2), Renee Good and Alex ...

2026-02-02T17:48:42Z

February 2. One month ago today (January 2), Renee Good and Alex Pretti were alive, and the U.S. military hadn't attacked a Latin American nation in decades.

Goodbye to this… I’m off to Colombia for a few days. Will be ...

2026-02-01T21:33:40Z

Goodbye to this… I’m off to Colombia for a few days.

Will be on the agenda at this event, viewable on YouTube: https://www.semana.com/foros-semana/articulo/la-nueva-agenda-de-washington-en-america-latina-que-cambia-y-que-puede-hacer-la-region-tema-central-del-gran-foro-colombia-2026/202647/

Fire him. ...

2026-01-31T19:39:29Z

Fire him.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/us/bovino-jewish-prosecutor-minnesota.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Clawdbot seems amazing and you should totally try it if you’re ...

2026-01-31T03:01:09Z

Clawdbot seems amazing and you should totally try it if you’re cool with Kash Patel gaining read-write access to your whole computer and all of your communications and cloud services.

https://youtu.be/kSno1-xOjwI?si=H7QgiVuTW8k4EXm1

Nostr notes by Adam Isacson

For *Politico*, silence in the face of a genocide threat is a ...

See now, anyone who has ever actually read a book from beginning ...

Dear active members of the U.S. military and intelligence forces: ...

Historians will marvel at this part of the Trump ...

Here's the latest WOLA Border Update: - Migrant encounter ...

En español: ...

New from me: The Trump administration’s “kinetic warrior” ...

I want to add this to my "uninvestigated, zero-consequence ...

A propaganda victory for Russia. They get to portray themselves ...

2 break-ins over 4 days at Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray ...

Let’s also note that a “War” Department that can’t tell a ...

If a foreign military unit is credibly alleged to commit gross ...

A New York Times article yesterday, reporting that U.S. forces ...

https://statemag.state.gov/2020/12/1220ib04/

CNN reports that the military plane that crashed in southern ...

If you're waiting for signs that Southcom's lethal boat ...

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week ...

I now count 160 people extrajudicially executed in 43 different ...

Here are 3 items since Thursday about border security, migration, ...

A bit more detail: almost all of the increase in Border Patrol ...

In this week's WOLA Border Update: Sen. Mullin to replace ...

Looks like a seasonal uptick in migrant encounters at the border. ...

Our report is here: ...

Here's video of yesterday's event and report launch, one ...

Left: the very top of the Trump campaign's 2024 platform. ...

John Fetterman just carried Markwayne Mulllin's nomination ...

At a time of a massive buildup of arrests, detentions, and ...

Our new report with Kino Border Initiative, "Denouncing Into ...

Join us at 2:00 tomorrow to discuss the crisis of internal ...

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116245627663801496 This time ...

One year ago, DHS gutted its own internal civil rights, civil ...

Webinar Thursday: 1 year ago, just as "mass deportation" ...

Exactly a year ago right now, we were trying to understand what ...

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week ...

yeah, that did put me in "now or never" mode.

Convinced that supply issues aren't going to get any better ...

RE: https://elefanti.co/@adam/116211740083370799 Here is video of ...

Amid violent arrests, detention deaths, harm to children…is ...

Also—and also partially about Venezuela—we've just posted ...

New WOLA Podcast: Expectations are rising in Venezuela, but they ...

March 21 will be 1 year since this administration fired nearly ...

- 158 people killed in 188 days. Guilt for a non-capital crime ...

4 of the 6 most populous countries in Latin America, 3 of them ...

"Business as usual—which means state-sponsored extraction ...

In the latest Border Update from WOLA: Kristi Noem leaves DHS in ...

At $5,357 per day, that's almost exactly what it would cost ...

It cost a combined $53,098,863.70 to detain 708 migrants at ...

Venezuela's Orinoco Mining Arc—like too much of the Amazon ...

Just 2 senators didn't vote with their party on ...

I'm putting together a presentation, and came across this old ...

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 7 ...

If just 1 or 2 Republican senators had voted to assert ...

At a time when so many big institutions and corporations have ...

Looks like DOD mistook a CBP drone for a party balloon. The ...

Invamer poll of #Colombia (long time series, reasonably ...

“2026 was always shaping up to be a transformational year for ...

This is just February. 25 dead in 19 days. Do not get numb to ...

Southcom just announced its 3rd lethal boat strike in the ...

"The Illegality is Not a Bug, It's a Feature." ...

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 6 ...

We can expect a short-term (or maybe more than short-term) spike ...

Here's video to accompany this week's Border Update. ...

With 3 more killed in the eastern Pacific yesterday, February is ...

The recently passed foreign aid bill is bad, but we averted a ...

Here's the "In Brief" summary at the beginning of ...

Someone let the penguins of the Heard and McDonald Islands know ...

Great news about the Supreme Court tariff decision. Now do the ...

Nostr event nevent1qqstyhk5gve4jp60ujr2zj3573d8wm7zxkw7x466352ps3nlyrun2ggzyr30nj3h0npu3atgnwj5c4tage4hd569swysqls8s2zr9hpsjggf5zx0fjf

Now that asylum/protection at the US-Mexico border is gone ...

That makes 146 people killed by the Trump administration's ...

This is the latest of 4 WOLA podcast episodes so far this year. ...

3 more attacks yesterday, 11 dead—February is on track to be ...

Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week 3 ...

Last week, we learned what a high-energy laser can do to a party ...

"A surge of children in ICE detention." "Plus, your ...

36 attacks, at least 134 people killed. Extrajudicial executions ...

This is futile. It’s not about the coca eradication ...

35 attacks and 131 deaths later, we’re normalizing the US’s ...

At this morning’s House Judiciary hearing, AG Bondi added to ...

For Politico, silence in the face of a genocide threat is a ...