dice.camp is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
A Mastodon server for RPG folks to hang out and talk. Not owned by a billionaire.

Administered by:

Server stats:

1.8K
active users

#characteristicsoffascism

12 posts4 participants0 posts today

Private groups work to identify and report #StudentProtesters for possible #deportation

“Now they’re using tools of the state to actually go after people,” said a Columbia graduate student from South Asia who has been active in protests and spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns about losing her visa. “We suddenly feel like we’re being forced to think about our survival.”

By ADAM GELLER, March 29, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — "When a protester was caught on video in January at a New York rally against Israel, only her eyes were visible between a mask and headscarf. But days later, photos of her entire face, along with her name and employer, were circulated online.

"'Months of them hiding their faces went down the drain!' a fledgling technology company boasted in a social media post, claiming its #FacialRecognition tool had identified the woman despite the coverings.

"She was anything but a lone target. The same software was also used to review images taken during months of #ProPalestinian marches at U.S. colleges. A #RightWingJewish group said some people identified with the tool were on a list of names it submitted to President Donald #Trump’s administration, urging that they be deported in accordance with his call for the expulsion of foreign students who participated in 'pro-jihadist' protests.

"Other #ProIsrael groups have enlisted help from supporters on campuses, urging them to report foreign students who participated in protests against the war in #Gaza to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency."

Read more:
apnews.com/article/trump-forei
#ICERaids #ICEDetentions #ICEArrests #SilencingDissent #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #MahmoudKhalil #RumeysaOzturk, #YunseoChung #BadarKhunSuri #MomodouTaal #ResistICE #Fascism #Project2025 #ProjectEsther #Authoritarianism #TurdReich

#Trump takes aim at foreign-born college students, with 300 visas revoked

Some students have been picked up off the street by immigration agents and held in detention centers, sometimes a thousand miles away from their homes, with little warning

By Daniella Silva, Chloe Atkins, Julia Ainsley and Abigail Williams, March 27, 2025

"Secretary of State #MarcoRubio said Thursday the State Department has revoked 300 or more #StudentVisas, as the White House increasingly targets foreign-born students whose main transgression seems to be #activism.

"Rubio warned that the administration was looking out for 'these lunatics.' Around the country, #scholars have been picked up, in some cases by masked immigration agents, and held in #DetentionCenters, sometimes a thousand miles from their homes with little warning and often with few details about why they were being detained.

"'It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,' Rubio said at a news conference in Guyana, where he was meeting with leaders.

"Many of those rounded up by Trump officials attended or were part of the pro-Palestinian movement that swept college campuses last year, and while the administration hasn’t said publicly why these students are being singled out over others, at least one sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appeared on lists made by far-right pro-Israel groups as targets for deportation.

"And Trump allies, many in government again, telegraphed for months before he took office that they’d seek to deport students who openly advocated for Hamas or other U.S.-designated terrorist groups or after they participated in an unauthorized campus #protest and were suspended, expelled or jailed.

"The detentions are a signal of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to clamp down on the actions of legal permanent residents, student visa holders and others who live and work legally in the United States, one that threatens to undermine a fundamental American right to #FreeSpeech and to assemble, experts and advocates said."

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump
#USPol #ThoughtPolice #Authoritarianism #Orwellian #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Clampdown #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingActivism #RightToAssemble #FirstAmendment #USPol

NBC News · Rubio says State Department has revoked at least 300 student visasBy Daniella Silva

#ICE Got Warrants Under “#FalsePretenses,” Claims #ColumbiaStudent Targeted Over #GazaProtests

The law behind the warrants bars concealment of people in the country illegally, yet the students were legal residents living on campus.

by Shawn Musgrave, March 28 2025

"Earlier this month, while hunting for #ColumbiaUniversity students to deport over their ties to #Gaza protests, the #Trump administration convinced a federal judge to sign off on search warrants for two students’ dorm rooms — then raided the residences with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

"As details about the warrants have emerged, however, so have allegations that federal agents misled the court and secured the warrants under 'false pretenses,' as one of the students whose room was searched, #YunseoChung, claimed in a lawsuit challenging her deportation.

"The warrants were predicated on probable cause that Columbia was 'harboring' students who were in the country illegally, court filings indicate. Chung, however, is a lawful permanent resident, notwithstanding the Trump administration’s efforts to deport her based on her arrest and citation at a Gaza sit-in. She has lived in the U.S. since she was 7 years old.

"'The basis for this entire operation is constitutionally invalid.'

"'The idea that they went before a federal magistrate judge and said, ‘We have to search Ms. Chung’s residence for evidence of Columbia harboring her’ — that shows they’re willing to lie to a judge,' said Nathan Yaffe, an immigration attorney.

"Yaffe represents both Chung and the other Columbia student who was targeted by the search warrants, #RanjaniSrinivasan, who left the country in mid-March.

"Most of the materials relating to the search warrants remain under seal in federal court, and Columbia declined to comment on them, citing student privacy protections. ICE did not respond to The Intercept’s questions about the warrants.

"'If the government falsified information to get the warrant, that is its own bundle of serious problems,' said Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, an attorney at #HumanRightsFirst who also represents Chung. 'But even if not, the basis for this entire operation is constitutionally invalid.'"

Read more:
theintercept.com/2025/03/28/ic

Archived version:
archive.ph/ruFDs
#MahmoudKhalil #RumeysaOzturk, #YunseoChung, #BadarKhunSuri #MomodouTaal #ResistICE #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent #Project2025 #ProjectEsther #USPol #Authoritarianism #TurdReich #CharacteristicsOfFascism

The Intercept · ICE Got Warrants Under “False Pretenses,” Claims Columbia Student Targeted Over Gaza ProtestsBy Shawn Musgrave

#Wisconsin: What to know about April's #VoterID ballot referendum

By: Emilee Fannon, Mar 27, 2025

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- "Voters will not only have to present a #PhotoID to vote on April 1, but they'll also be asked about adding that requirement to the state constitution.

"It's part of a constitutional amendment that will appear on ballots across the state.

"The ballot referendum asks voters, 'shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?'

"A 'yes' vote would enshrine Wisconsin's voter requirement in the state constitution, a move that would make it harder for a court to strike down the law or for lawmakers to repeal.

"Voting 'no' would not add the state's voter ID law to the constitution.

"If the ballot measure is approved or rejected, little would change for Wisconsin voters because the existing photo ID law has been on the books for nearly a decade, said Bryna Godar at the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

"However, #Republican lawmakers who authored the amendment say it's designed to protect the law from legal challenges in wake of the state Supreme Court gaining a 4-3 #LiberalMajority in 2023."

Read more:
cbs58.com/news/what-to-know-ab
#WisconsinPol #USPol #TrumpIsPutinsPuppet #Fascism #Authoritarianism
Are #LiteracyTests Next? #VoterDisenfranchisement #CharacteristicsOfFascism

CBS58What to know about April's voter ID ballot referendumMADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Voters will not only have to present a photo ID to vote on April 1, but they'll also be asked about adding that requirement to the state constitution.It's part of a constitutional

#Trump seeks to mandate proof of #citizenship in #VoterRegistration

"Only about half of Americans have a U.S. passport, and only five states currently offer enhanced driver's licenses that show proof of citizenship."

By Jude Joffe-Block, March 26, 20251:09 AM ET

Excerpt: "#VotingRights advocates, however, warn outdated databases can erroneously list naturalized citizens as noncitizens. Past efforts by states to purge noncitizens from voter rolls have sometimes swept up eligible U.S. citizens.

"The executive order also seeks to stop states from counting mail or absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after by withholding funding from states that allow such ballots to be counted.

"Proof of citizenship requirement

"Ahead of the 2024 election, Trump and his allies made baseless claims about the threat of noncitizens voting in large numbers.

"The current federal voter registration form asks registrants to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they are U.S. citizens and eligible to vote, and to provide a driver's license number, state ID number or Social Security number. Those who attempt to vote illegally can face prison time, fines or deportation. Past audits and studies have shown such cases are incredibly rare.

"Yet Republicans have made requiring documentary proof of citizenship a policy priority. The executive order borrows heavily from the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the #SAVEAct, a Republican-backed bill. House Republicans have signaled that they intend to pass it in their chamber but it faces difficult odds in the Senate.

"The executive order shows #Trump isn't waiting for Congress. But legal experts say that he does not have the authority through #ExecutiveOrder to make such changes, and the order conflicts with existing #FederalVotingLaw.

"'It's illegal at many different levels,' said Sean Morales-Doyle, the voting rights director at the #BrennanCenter for Justice, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for voting rights. The order directs the #ElectionAssistanceCommission, a small, independent bipartisan agency, to make various changes, including to the federal #VoterRegistration form, but Morales-Doyle said the president can't tell that commission what to do.

"Requiring documentary proof of #citizenship would radically upend voter registration if such a mandate were to take effect.

"The order is explicit that applies to anyone who uses the federal voter registration form. What is less clear is if the order would also pressure states to require showing proof of citizenship with state registration forms, such as by #WithholdingFunds.

"The order only lists a limited number of ways to prove U.S. citizenship. The options given are a U.S. passport, an ID that complies with the #RealIDAct that shows citizenship or a military ID that shows citizenship. A fourth option is a valid government photo ID that 'indicates that the applicant is a United States citizen or if such identification is otherwise accompanied by proof of United States citizenship,' but does not say if a birth certificate would count."

Read more:
npr.org/2025/03/26/g-s1-55927/
#TrumpIsABully #USPol #TrumpIsPutinsPuppet #Fascism #Authoritarianism #DictatorInChief
Are #LiteracyTests Next? #VoterDisenfranchisement #CharacteristicsOfFascism

Continued thread

From #LawrenceBritt's #CharacteristicsOfFascism

11. Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts
"Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other #academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts."
kolektiva.social/@DoomsdaysCW/

The 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism 
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism 
2. Disdain for Human Rights 
3. Identification of Enemies As A Unifying Cause 
4. Supremacy of the Military 
5. Rampant Sexism 
6. Controlled Mass Media 
7. Obsession With National Security 
8. Religion and Government Intertwined 
9. Corporate Power Protected 
10. Labor Power Suppressed 
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts 
12. Obsession With Crime and Punishment 
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption 
14. Fraudulent Elections
kolektiva.socialDoomsdaysCW (@DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social)Attached: 1 image Lawrence W. Britt: 14 Characteristics of #Fascism "#Historian #LawrenceBritt studied the fascist regimes of #Hitler (Germany), #Mussolini (Italy), #Franco (Spain), #Suharto (Indonesia), and #Pinochet (Chile) and found they had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. 1. Powerful and Continuing #Nationalism Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of #patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. #Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. 2. Disdain for the Recognition of #HumanRights Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, and long incarcerations of prisoners. 3. Identification of #Enemies / #Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: #racial, #ethnic or #religious #minorities; #liberals; #communists; #socialists, #terrorists… 4. Supremacy of the #Military Even when there are widespread #domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. 5. Rampant #Sexism The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional #gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to #abortion is high, as is #homophobia and anti-#gay legislation. 6. Controlled #MassMedia Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government #censorship and #secrecy especially in war time, are very common. 7. Obsession with #NationalSecurity Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. 8. #Religion and Government are Intertwined Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions. 9. Protection of #Corporate Power The #industrial and business #aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. 10. Suppression of #Labor Power Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor #unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. 11. Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other #academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts. 12. Obsession with #Crime and #Punishment Under fascist regimes, the #police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego #CivilLiberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations. 13. Rampant #Cronyism and #Corruption Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. 14. #FraudulentElections Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by #SmearCampaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control #voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections. This post is a summary of Fascism, Anyone? by Lawrence W. Britt published in 2003 by Free Inquiry magazine." https://voxpopulisphere.com/2017/08/23/lawrence-britt-14-characteristics-of-fascism/ #History #Histodon #RabidRight #Antifa #Antifascism #FarRight #Trump #Putin #Russia #MAGA #Project2025 #CharacteristicsOfFascism

#UniversityOfToronto hires three prominent Yale #professors worried about Trump

#Fascism scholar #JasonStanley and #historians #TimothySnyder and #MarciShore have taken jobs at the University of Toronto amid concerns about the second #Trump administration

by Allison Smith, Mar 26, 2025

"U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection has spurred several high-profile Yale #professors to leave New Haven for jobs at the University of Toronto.

"Bestselling author Timothy Snyder and historian Marci Shore are on leave from Yale and joined UofT earlier this year.

"Snyder and Shore, who are married, will begin teaching courses at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy this fall.

"Shore told TorontoToday they plan to stay at UofT 'for the long-term.'

"Snyder is the New York Times bestselling author of #OnTyranny and The Road to #Unfreedom, and an outspoken critic of the #Trump administration.

"UofT began recruiting her and Snyder two years ago, Shore said, 'and we were seriously considering the offers long before the November 2024 presidential elections.'

"'Both Toronto and the Munk School were and are very attractive places unto themselves, even bracketing the American descent into fascism,' she said in an email.

"'All that said, yes, of course our #AmericanCatastrophe played a role in our final decision.'"

Rea more:
torontotoday.ca/local/educatio
#UofT #Authoritarianism #BrainDrain #CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol

TorontoToday.ca · UofT hires three prominent Yale professors worried about TrumpBy Allison Smith

#PineAndRoses #NewEngland #DSA protests #ICEDetentions

Posted by #MaineDSA and Wes Pelletier | Mar 27, 2025

"Last week, the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine organized a protest of ICE detention of #ColumbiaUniversity student leader #MahmoudKhalil. Since then, ICE has operated as the #Trump Administration’s #SecretPolice, abducting a growing number of immigrant organizers for exercising their right to #FreeSpeech and protesting the U.S.-sponsored #genocide in #Gaza. The list includes #RumeysaOzturk, #YunseoChung, #BadarKhunSuri, #MomodouTaal, #RanjaniSrinivasan, as well as #farmworker organizer #AlfredoJuarezZerefino. Maine DSA member and Portland District 2 City Councilmember #WesPelletier spoke at the Portland Mahmoud Khalil protest and DSA chapters around New England issued a joint declaration reprinted below against the ICE abduction of Rumeysa Ozturk.

New England DSA chapters demand freedom for Rumeysa Ozturk

"Yesterday, ICE agents abducted Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student and pro-Palestine activist at Tufts.

"The kidnapping comes after almost 400 #ICEArrests in Massachusetts, as well as the #doxxing of Ozturk by the pro-Isreal website #CanaryMission.

"ICE’s abductions—of Ozturk, Khalil, and many others—is an unprecedented attack on basic #CivilRights in the name of U.S. Empire, whether those detained are peaceful #PoliticalActivists or undocumented #migrants seeking safety, jobs, and a better life.

"We must stand up against this brazen attack on #Palestine, #FreeSpeech, and the #RightToProtest.

"We must stand in solidarity with our neighbors and communities under attack from Trump, ICE, and all agents of #imperialism.

"Governor Healey, the courts, and the Democratic Party establishment are not coming to save us—we must mobilize, agitate, and organize in our workplaces and campuses to defend working-class rights.

In Solidarity,

#BerkshiresDSA, #BostonDSA, #BostonUniversityYDSA, #CapeCodDSA, #ConnecticutDSA, #MaineDSA, #NortheasternYDSA, #RiverValleyDSA, #SimmonsYDSA, #SouthernNewHampshireDSA, #UpperValleyDSA, #WorcesterDSA"

Source:
pineandroses.org/news/new-engl
#ResistICE #ResistFascism #Resistance #District13 #District13Resists #Fascism #USPol #Authoritarianism #TurReich #CharacteristicsOfFascism

ICE
Pine & Roses · New England DSA protests ICE detentions - Pine & Roses
More from Todd Chretien

#LawrenceBritt #CharacteristicsOfFascism Numbers 1 and 11...

1. Powerful and Continuing #Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of #patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. #Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

11. Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other #academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Trump targets 'anti-American ideology' at Smithsonian museums

by Max Matza, 3/27/2025

"US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution, which operates more than 20 museums and research centres visited by millions yearly in Washington DC and New York City.

"The order directs the vice-president to 'eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology' from the institute's museums, centres and the National Zoo in Washington.

"It also directs the interior secretary to restore federal properties, including parks, memorials and statues, which 'have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history'.

"The move is part of Trump's effort to shape American culture, in addition to politics."

Read more:
bbc.com/news/articles/cdjy1jmv
#ChristoFascism #ChristianRight #USPol #Fascism #Authoritarianism #Fascists #TurdReich

An overhead view of buildings in Washington DC. There is snow on the ground
www.bbc.comTrump targets 'anti-American ideology' at Smithsonian museumsThe order says that "divisive narratives" must be purged from the US museums and research centres.

#Trump administration targets #Maine again, this time on #transgender policy in schools

The U.S. #DepartmentOfEducation. which Trump wants to abolish, is investigating whether dozens of Maine school districts are violating or misusing federal privacy laws and infringing on parents’ rights.

by Eric Russell, March 28, 2025

"The Trump administration is once again targeting Maine over its policies on transgender youth.

"The U.S. Department of Education – an agency the president is trying to abolish – announced Friday it has initiated an investigation into Maine’s Department of Education over allegations that school districts in the state are violating the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (#FERPA).

"Specifically, the federal agency says school districts are allowing officials to create 'gender plans' that support a transgender student’s identity but then not making those plans available to parents.

"A similar investigation was launched in #California this week.

[...]

"Schools in Maine have been caught in a legal gray area between respecting student privacy and parents’ rights to be informed when it comes to children’s expression of gender identity while at school. Many youth live in families whose members might not be supportive of their gender identity.

"The Trump administration already has been investigating Maine for allowing #TransgenderAthletes to compete, something that is allowed under the #MaineHumanRightsAct but defies an executive order the president signed in February. This month, the administration found that Maine violated the federal law known as #TitleIX and warned that if the state didn’t make changes, it would risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice and the potential loss of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding.

"The announcement from the U.S. Department of Education this week also warns that if any Maine district is found in violation of the federal privacy act, it could lose federal funding. It’s unclear how that will play out, though, because Trump is trying to eliminate the education department at the federal level.

"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education did not immediately respond Friday to questions about the investigation. A spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General’s Office declined to comment.

"Trump and his supporters have elevated transgender rights as the biggest battle in the country’s culture war and believe their messaging is a political winner, even beyond traditional party lines.

"In addition to his executive order barring transgender girls or women from competing in athletics, Trump signed another that says the federal government would only recognize two genders, male and female, a move some advocates said was designed to erase transgender individuals from existence.

"Many states, Maine included, have strong protections for transgender individuals."

Read more:
pressherald.com/2025/03/28/tru

Archived version:
archive.md/b6gpf
#MainePol #USPol #MaineResists #ProtectTransYouth #TrumpIsABully #Education #Authoritarianism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism #TransRightsAreHumanRights

Press Herald · Trump administration targets Maine again, this time on transgender policy in schoolsThe U.S. Department of Education, which Trump wants to abolish, is investigating whether dozens of Maine school districts are violating or misusing federal privacy laws and infringing on parents’ rights.

#DHS detains grad student who advocated for #Palestine and the "humanity of all people"

#RumeysaOzturk, a student at #TuftsUniversity, drew the attention of a pro-Israel group for co-authoring an op-ed

By Charles R. Davis
Published March 26, 2025 10:01AM Updated March 26, 2025 5:27PM (EDT)

"The Trump administration has detained a Tufts University graduate student exactly one year after she coauthored a plea for 'the equal dignity and #humanity of all people,' including Palestinians.

"Rumeysa Ozturk, a native of Turkey, was 'ambushed' late Tuesday outside her apartment, according to a statement that her attorney provided to The Boston Globe. Neighbors had seen agents in #UnmarkedCars monitoring her apartment for two days prior to the arrest, the outlet reported.

"'Her arrest comes after the #ProIsrael group #CanaryMission flagged Ozturk for having 'engaged in anti-Israel activism in March 2024.'"

Read more:
salon.com/2025/03/26/dhs-detai
#BostonMA #Orwellian #Authoritarianism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

Salon · DHS detains grad student who advocated for Palestine and the "humanity of all people"Rumeysa Ozturk, a student at Tufts University, drew the attention of a pro-Israel group for co-auhtoring an op-ed

#CharacteristicsOfFascism 14. #FraudulentElections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by #SmearCampaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control #voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

#Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of #citizenship

By ALI SWENSON and CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY, March 25, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — "President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive action to overhaul elections in the U.S., including requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and demanding that all ballots be received by Election Day.

"The order says the U.S. has failed 'to enforce basic and necessary election protections' and calls on states to work with federal agencies to share voter lists and prosecute election crimes. It threatens to pull federal funding from states where election officials don’t comply."

Read more:
apnews.com/article/voting-elec
#Authoritarianism #BullyInChief
#ElectionBarriers #Fascism #Fascist #USPol

#Trump's #TransgenderRights rollbacks prompt allies to adjust travel warnings

by Avery Lotz, March 23, 2025

"Several European countries have adjusted travel guidelines for citizens seeking to enter the U.S. as the Trump administration has implemented several rollbacks on #transgender rights.

"The big picture: #Finland, #Denmark and #Germany urged cautionary planning for #trans and #nonbinary travelers seeking to enter the U.S. following an executive order requiring the federal government to recognize only two sexes: male and female.

- The advisory changes come as citizens from several European countries and beyond have been detained by U.S. immigration authorities over issues with travel visas.

[...]

"The Trump administration has made rolling back rights for transgender Americans a key priority of its early days in office, targeting military service, gender-affirming care, sports participation, federal recognition and other aspects of everyday life.

- References to trans Americans — and other minority groups — have been wiped across federal websites.
- However, many of the administration's measures have hit legal barriers in court."

Read more:
axios.com/2025/03/23/allies-is
#TransRightsAreHumanRights #HumanRightsViolations #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Authoritarianism #GenderFascism

A British Airways plane is in the air as it lands at San Francisco International Airport.
Axios · Trump's transgender rights rollbacks prompt allies to adjust travel warningsBy Avery Lotz

American Association of University Professors [#AAUP] v. #Rubio

A case challenging the #Trump administration’s policy of ideological deportation.

"On March 25, 2025, the Knight Institute filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen students and faculty who participate in pro-Palestinian activism. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), AAUP’s #Harvard, #NYU, and #Rutgers campus chapters, and the #MiddleEastStudies Association, argues that the policy chills noncitizens from speaking and, by extension, robs these organizations and their U.S. citizen members of noncitizens’ perspectives on a matter of significant public debate.

"The lawsuit responds to a climate of repression and fear on university campuses. Federal agencies are attempting to deport multiple individuals for their #ProPalestinian advocacy, including #MahmoudKhalil, a leader of protests at Columbia University. These actions have sent chills through the community of noncitizen students and faculty on campuses around the country, causing some to pull out of academic conferences, stay home from #protests, and withdraw from other forms of public advocacy and engagement.

"The lawsuit alleges that the administration’s policy of ideological deportation violates the First Amendment right of the plaintiffs to hear from and associate with noncitizen students and faculty, that it is unconstitutionally vague, and that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The suit seeks a court order declaring that the policy is unlawful and enjoining the federal government from enforcing it."

Status: Complaint filed on March 25, 2025.

Case Information: American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, No. 1:25-cv-10685 (D.Mass).

knightcolumbia.org/cases/aaup-
#YunseoChung #RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #law
#immigration #FreeSpeech #MarcoRubio #Trump #FreedomOfAssembly #Authoritarianism #Palestine #CriminalizingDissent #HigherEducation

American Association of University Professors v. Rubio
Knight First Amendment InstituteAmerican Association of University Professors v. Rubio

Looks like the American Association of University Professors agrees with me!

#AAUP, Allies Sue over #Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport #Students and #Faculty for #LawfulSpeech

"The national AAUP; chapters at #Harvard, #Rutgers, and #NYU; and the #MiddleEastStudies Association today filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members who participate in #ProPalestinian #protests and other protected #FirstAmendment activities.

"We believe that the administration’s ideological-deportation policy violates the First Amendment by targeting constitutionally protected speech that Americans have a right to hear and engage with. The policy has created a climate of fear and repression on campuses around the country. We are represented in the case by the #KnightFirstAmendmentInstitute at #ColumbiaUniversity, #AhilanArulanantham, and Zimmer, Citron & Clarke LLP.

"Following executive orders issued by President Trump in January, the federal agencies that enforce immigration laws have arrested and detained several people associated with U.S. colleges and universities, including a legal permanent resident, on the basis of constitutionally protected speech and association.

"Today’s filing argues that the ideological-deportation policy has created a climate of #repression and intense fear on university #campuses, 'terrorizing students and faculty for their exercise of First Amendment rights in the past, intimidating them from exercising those rights now, and silencing political viewpoints that the government disfavors.'

"'The Trump administration is going after international #scholars and students who speak their minds about #Palestine, but make no mistake: they won't stop there. They'll come next for those who teach the history of #slavery or who provide #GenderAffirming health care or who research #ClimateChange or who counsel students about their reproductive choices. We all have to draw a line together—as the old labor movement slogan says: an injury to one is an injury to all,' says AAUP President Todd Wolfson.

"'The First Amendment means the government can’t arrest, detain, or deport people for lawful political expression—it’s as simple as that. This practice is one we’d ordinarily associate with the most repressive political regimes, and it should have no place in our democracy,' says #JameelJaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute."

Source:
aaup.org/news/aaup-allies-sue-
#RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #law
#immigration #FreeSpeech #MarcoRubio #Trump #FreedomOfAssembly #Authoritarianism #Palestine #CriminalizingDissent #HigherEducation

AAUP · AAUP, Allies Sue over Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful SpeechThe national AAUP; chapters at Harvard, Rutgers, and NYU; and the Middle East Studies Association today filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members who participate in pro-Palestinian protests and other protected First Amendment activities.

Like I said before, #Trump will use ANY excuse to withhold funding. And he has NOT restored #ColumbiaUniversity's funding yet, despite their caving to the #BullyInChief's demands! Today, it's #TransgenderAthletes and #FreePalestine #Protestors. Tomorrow it will be...? The capitulation has to stop NOW!

#Academia Confronts a Watershed Moment at Columbia, and the Right Revels

Threatened with losing $400 million in federal funding, the university agreed to overhaul its protest policies and security practices.

"The end is not clear. Columbia’s moves on Friday — revealed in a letter to the campus from the interim president, Dr. Katrina A. Armstrong — were essentially an opening bid in negotiations with the federal government to let the $400 million flow again. But the Trump administration has not publicly said what other concessions it might seek from Columbia or the dozens of other universities, from Hawaii to Harvard, that it has started to scrutinize since taking power on Jan. 20."

by Troy Closson, Alan Blinder and Katherine Rosman, March 22, 2025

"Many professors saw it as surrender, a reward to the Trump administration’s heavy hand. Conservative critics of academia celebrated it as an overdue, righteous reset by an Ivy League university.

"Columbia University’s concession on Friday to a roster of government demands as it sought to restore about $400 million in federal funding is being widely viewed as a watershed in Washington’s relationships with the nation’s colleges.

"By design, the consequences will be felt immediately on Columbia’s campus, where, for example, some security personnel will soon have arrest powers and an academic department that had drawn conservative scrutiny is expected to face stringent oversight. But they also stand to shape colleges far from Manhattan.

"'Columbia is folding and the other universities will follow suit,' Christopher Rufo, an activist and senior fellow at the #ManhattanInstitute, a conservative think tank, wrote on social media after the university’s announcement on Friday."

[...]

"Many worry that the administration’s pursuit of Columbia was a test drive — a way to gauge public reaction, assess the prospects of legal pushback and develop a precedent. On Wednesday, the administration seemed to bring another test case, saying it would withhold about $175 million from Penn because the university had allowed an openly transgender woman on its women’s swim team in 2022."

Read more:
nytimes.com/2025/03/22/nyregio

Archived version:
archive.ph/xQeLn
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #HigherEducation #DumbingUsDown

The government’s actions targeted Columbia, but the implications are likely to be felt far beyond its Manhattan campus.
The New York Times · Columbia University’s Concessions to Trump Seen as a WatershedBy Troy Closson

#ColumbiaUniversity student sues #Trump administration over threatened deportation

#YunseoChung, 21, has lived in the U.S. since she was 7 years old

Mar 24, 2025

"A Korean American Columbia University student, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident and has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to prevent her deportation, a court filing showed.

"Yunseo Chung, 21, has lived in the U.S. since she was seven, but her legal team was informed two weeks ago that her lawful permanent resident status was being revoked, according to the court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

"The Trump administration says her U.S. presence hinders its foreign policy agenda, according to the lawsuit. Chung has not yet been arrested. Immigration agents have made multiple visits to her residences looking for her."

Read more:
cbc.ca/news/world/columbia-stu
#RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #law
#immigration #FreeSpeech #MarcoRubio #Trump #FreedomOfAssembly #Authoritarianism #GreenCard #FreePalestine

CBCColumbia University student sues Trump administration over threatened deportation | CBC NewsA Korean American Columbia University student, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident and has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to prevent her deportation, a court filing showed.

Ihre Papiere, bitte. #Trump Wants Immigrants on U.S. Soil to Hand Over #SocialMedia Accounts to Apply for #Citizenship

Trump is demanding social media handles for #citizenship, #GreenCard, and #visa applicants whether they're already in the U.S. or not.

by Matt Sledge, March 23 2025,

"President Donald Trump’s administration wants to force people in the U.S. applying for green cards or citizenship to fork over their social media handles, in a move with far-reaching implications as the government cracks down on #ProPalestine activists.

"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or #USCIS, which oversees naturalization and immigration, earlier this month proposed requesting social media names from people in the U.S. who apply for asylum, permanent residency, or naturalization, expanding a policy that used to only target people living abroad applying for visas.

"The proposal references Trump’s day-one executive order laying the groundwork for a new #MuslimTravelBan, which also asked federal agencies to identify #immigrants in the U.S. who hold '#HostileAttitudes” toward the government.

"'This policy would disparately impact #Muslim and #Arab applicants seeking #USCitizenship.”

"The shift would affect an estimated 3.5 million people per year — some of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades.
In light of #ColumbiaUniversity #protester #MahmoudKhalil’s ongoing detention, one official from a Muslim civil rights group said the new policy poses special danger for critics of #Israel and the Trump administration.

"'This policy would disparately impact Muslim and Arab applicants seeking U.S. citizenship that have voiced support for #Palestinian #HumanRights,' said Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. 'Collecting the social media identifiers of any potential green card applicants or citizens is the means to silencing their #LawfulSpeech.'"

Original article:
theintercept.com/2025/03/23/tr

Archived version:
archive.ph/nYlTX
#USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Authoritarianism #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #BigTechBrosAreWatchingYou #SilencingDissent #FreeSpeech

The Intercept · Trump Wants Immigrants on U.S. Soil to Hand Over Social Media Accounts to Apply for CitizenshipBy Matt Sledge