J. David McSwane
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Reporter, @propublica. “Laugh out loud funny” - WashPo. Author, PANDEMIC, INC. Order here: bit.ly/pandemicinc DM for signal. David.mcswane@propublica.org
Articles by J. David McSwane
Judges call out Trump DOJ for “unlawful,” “unethical” and “unseemly” conduct
Across the country, federal judges are calling out Department of Justice lawyers, questioning in unprecedented ways whether they can be trusted to tell the truth or uphold centuries-old legal norms.
Judges call out Trump DOJ for “unlawful,” “unethical” and “unseemly” conduct
22 hours ago Trump suggested Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was “upset” with him on the same day he withheld support for the president’s attorney general nominee. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Wednesday weighed in on speculation that he’s trying to get payback on Donald Trump by defying him after he was primaried …
Federal Judges Chastise Trump’s Justice Department for “Unlawful,” “Unethical” and “Unseemly” Conduct
Across the country, federal judges are calling out Department of Justice lawyers, questioning in unprecedented ways whether they can be trusted to tell the truth or uphold centuries-old legal norms.
Federal Judges Chastise Trump’s Justice Department for “Unlawful,” “Unethical” and “Unseemly” Conduct
Smuggling 5 hours ago Taiwan Prosecutors Reportedly Detain Nvidia Staffer In China AI Chip Smuggling Probe Forbes - Siladitya Ray • 5h What Do We Know About The Super Micro Smuggling Case?
El DHS planea una “guerra frontal” contra los estafadores de inmigración mientras las denuncias por fraude de duplican
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) investiga una sofisticada red de estafadores que se aprovechan de personas inmersas en procesos migratorios, las despojan de sus ahorros y provocan que algunas sean deportadas, a raíz de un informe de ProPublica que indica que las denuncias de este tipo de fraude se duplicaron durante el segundo mandato del presidente Donald Trump.
DHS Plans “All-Out War” on Immigration Scammers as Fraud Complaints Double
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a sophisticated network of scammers who target people caught in immigration proceedings, bilking them of their savings and causing some to be deported, following a ProPublica report that complaints of such fraud doubled under the second administration of President Donald Trump.
Francesca D'Annunzio
Immigration scams surged as Trump’s sweeps lured desperate people to eager defrauders This story was originally published by ProPublica. As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city. Urbina […]
Immigration scams surged as Trump’s sweeps lured desperate people to eager defrauders Original
This story was originally published by ProPublica. As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city.
Immigration scams surge as Trump’s sweeps lure desperate people to eager defrauders
Con artists posing as ICE agents use WhatsApp, fake court hearings to bilk vulnerable people out of their savings By Naisha Roy - Francesca D'Annunzio - J. David McSwane In this handout photo provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the New York City Fugitive Operations Team conducted targeted enforcement operations resulting in the arrest of a Dominican national on January 28, 2025 in New York City.
Fear And Opportunity: Immigration Scams Surged As Trump’s Sweeps Lured Desperate People To Eager Defrauders
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city.
Con Artists Posing as Ice Agents Are Using WhatsApp to Bilk Vulnerable People Out of Their Savings
This story was originally published by ProPublica. As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city.
Miedo y oportunidad: las estafas migratorias se disparan durante las redadas de Trump
Estafadores que suplantan la identidad de agentes del ICE y oficiales de inmigración usan WhatsApp y falsas audiencias de corte para engañar a gente vulnerable y quitarles sus ahorros. A medida que siguen las deportaciones, estas denuncias van en aumento Jasmir Urbina en una imagen sin datar. Cedida Naisha Roy Francesca D’Annunzio J. David McSwane ProPublica Este reportaje fue publicado originalmente por ProPublica, un medio independiente sin ánimo de lucro que investiga los abusos de poder.
Fear and opportunity: Immigration scams surged as Trump’s sweeps lured desperate people to eager defrauders
As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city. Urbina had fled Nicaragua in 2022 and legally resided with her husband, a fellow asylum-seeker, in New Orleans while reporting to immigration agents for check-ins as she awaited her day in court.
Immigration, deportation, ICE, crime
IMMIGRATIONFear and Opportunity: Immigration Scams Surged as Trump’s Sweeps Lured Desperate People to Eager Defrauders Published 29 April 2026 Con artists posing as ICE agents and immigration officers are using WhatsApp and fake court hearings to bilk vulnerable people out of their savings with empty promises to fix immigration problems. As mass deportations continue, scam complaints soar.
Fear and Opportunity: Immigration Scams Surged as Trump’s Sweeps Lured Desperate People to Eager Defrauders
As an asylum-seeker living in the U.S., Jasmir Urbina worried as she watched violence break out amid the military-style immigration sweeps across the country. Then she read about legal residents being arrested at immigration court and wondered when federal agents would set their sights on her city. Urbina had fled Nicaragua in 2022 and legally resided with her husband, a fellow asylum-seeker, in New Orleans while reporting to immigration agents for check-ins as she awaited her day in court.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
A screenshot from a video shows the moments before Alex Pretti was shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. Screenshot by ProPublica via Facebook In one of the scariest moments in modern history, we're doing our best at ScheerPost to pierce the fog of lies that conceal it but we need some help to pay our writers and staff. Please consider a tax-deductible donation. By J.
ICE, ICE tactics, ICE aggressive approach, Alex Pretti's killers
THE ICE PROBLEMTwo CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting Published 3 February 2026 The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting Published February 2, 2026 The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly encounter last weekend that left Pretti dead and ignited massive protests and calls for criminal investigations. Both men were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement dragnet launched in December that sent scores of armed and masked agents across the city.
ICE, ICE tactics, ICE aggressive approach, Alex Pretti's killers
THE ICE PROBLEMTwo CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting Published 2 February 2026 The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
J. David McSwane, ProPublica
Two CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting This story was originally published by ProPublica. The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly […]
Two CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting are from South Texas
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly encounter last weekend that left Pretti dead and ignited massive protests and calls for criminal investigations.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
10 hours ago None of what we have seen over the past few weeks — not the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of federal officers, the seizure of children by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, the callous disregard of civil rights and liberties …
Unfettered and unaccountable: How Trump is building a violent shadowy federal police force
By J. David Mcswane & Hannah Allam/ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June 2025, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system. Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured some of the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars.
Montana Revokes Dr. Thomas Weiner’s License, Citing Multiple Malpractice Cases
Dr. Thomas C. Weiner, the oncologist who was the subject of a 2024 ProPublica investigation, will never again practice medicine in the state of Montana. Last week, medical board members revoked Weiner’s license, citing seven cases of malpractice. The board concluded that he had violated rules of professional conduct and provided substandard care.
Deportation, mass deportation, illegal immigrants, immigration
DEPORTATIONTrump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters Published 28 November 2025 Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear gas. Protestors trapped, struggling to breathe.
Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters
As the Trump administration’s immigration dragnet intensified in June, a nurse in Portland, Oregon, left work one midafternoon and drove to a nearby detention facility to voice his opposition. Federal agents had set off smoke grenades, driving away many protesters at the front of the facility, but Vincent Hawkins lifted his megaphone anyway.
Democracy, threats to democracy, state sovereignty, federalism, National Guard
DEMOCRACY WATCHUnfettered and Unaccountable: How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force Published 15 November 2025 Under President Donald Trump’s deportation mission, ICE officers are using force to detain and jail immigrants. The administration gutted guardrails and offices meant to rein in abusive actions. Some families say they have no idea where their loved ones were jailed after immigration raids.
Unfettered and unaccountable: How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police
When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system. Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured some of the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars. In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves. There was no way to confirm whether they were immigration agents or imposters.
How Trump Is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force
The administration gutted guardrails and offices meant to rein in abusive actions. Some families say they have no idea where their loved ones were jailed after immigration raids. By J. David McSwane and Hannah Allam, ProPublica When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system.
Trump Is Building a Violent, Shadowy, and Unaccountable Federal Police Force
Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police force
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system. Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured some of the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars.
Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Democrats in the House and Senate announced plans for a wide-ranging investigation into immigration agents’ detention of citizens after a ProPublica story found that more than 170 Americans have been held by immigration officials this year.
This County Was the “Model” for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations.
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Arizona Luminaria. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was among the first agencies to participate in ICE’s 287(g) program, which deputizes local officers to do immigration enforcement. The office’s immigration raids and traffic stops under then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio led to racial profiling and the violation of Latinos’ constitutional rights.
Arizona Police Agencies Were Once at the Forefront of Local Immigration Enforcement. Now Most Are Avoiding It.
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Arizona Luminaria. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week.
J. David McSwane, ProPublica
Unfettered and unaccountable: How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police force BY: J. David McSwane, ProPublica and Hannah Allam - October 21, 2025 This story was originally published by ProPublica. Sign up to receive their biggest stories. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system.
Unfettered and unaccountable: How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police force
Federal agents block people protesting an immigration raid at a licensed cannabis farm on near Camarillo, California, on July 10, 2025 . (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.) Generate Key Takeaways Federal agents block people protesting an immigration raid at a licensed cannabis farm on near Camarillo, California, on July 10, 2025 . (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) This story was originally published by ProPublica. Sign up to receive their biggest stories.
How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force
In immigration crackdown, DHS statements on arrests face a problem of credibility A series of public statements from the Department of Homeland Security during its migrant crackdown in Chicago and across the country has been contradicted or undermined by local officials, a civil rights attorney and a legal filing. These issues have been particularly notable in three prominent …
Dismissed by DEI: Trump’s purge made Black women with stable federal jobs an “Easy target”
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
“The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas. “Onward and upward!” he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space. His career blastoff came quickly.
By Hannah Allam Verified, J. David McSwane Verified, Mica Rosenberg Verified, Melissa Sanchez Verified
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Dismissed by DEI: Trump’s Purge Made Black Women With Stable Federal Jobs an “Easy Target”
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
Dismissed by DEI: Trump’s Purge Made Black Women With Stable Federal Jobs an “Easy Target”
4 hours ago Inside a sprawling six-bed, five-bath property overlooking Miami’s Biscayne Bay, a new legion of OnlyFans creators is taking hold. In a May 14 TikTok that’s since racked up 4 million views, the house’s residents dance in barely-there bodycon dresses in front of brightly lit signs spelling out …
'They don’t care about civil rights': Trump’s shuttering of DHS oversight arm freezes 600 cases, imperils human rights
On Feb. 10, more than a dozen Department of Homeland Security officials joined a video conference to discuss an obscure, sparsely funded program overseen by its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The office, charged with investigating when the national security agency is accused of violating the rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, had found itself in the crosshairs of Elon Musk’s secretive Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
How Homeland Security Shut Down its Civil-Rights Unit
On Feb. 10, more than a dozen Department of Homeland Security officials joined a video conference to discuss an obscure, sparsely funded program overseen by its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The office, charged with investigating when the national security agency is accused of violating the rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, had found itself in the crosshairs of Elon Musk’s secretive Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
From Lollapalooza to Detention Camps: Meet the Tent Company Making a Fortune Off Trump’s Deportation Plans
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. In June 2005, a former employee from the Federal Emergency Management Agency toured the grounds of the Bonnaroo music festival in rural Tennessee. He wasn’t there to see the headliners, which included Dave Matthews Band and the lead singer of the popular jam band Phish.
By Jeff Ernsthausen Verified, Mica Rosenberg Verified, Avi Asher-Schapiro Verified, J. David McSwane Verified
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ProPublica
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'They Don’t Care About Civil Rights'
On Feb. 10, more than a dozen Department of Homeland Security officials joined a video conference to discuss an obscure, sparsely funded program overseen by its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The office, charged with investigating when the national security agency is accused of violating the rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, had found itself in the crosshairs of Elon Musk’s secretive Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
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