Weekly Spotlight: At the Eleventh Hour

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ABUSING POWER AND RIGHTS

A deplorable new plan

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from removing migrants from Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines to Libya earlier this week, reportedly managing to stop the unconstitutional and illegal removals at the eleventh hour. The Trump administration has already removed hundreds of people of various national origins to a brutal mega-prison in El Salvador, where it is impossible for them to contact their families or access legal counsel. Conditions in Libyan detention centers are just as dangerous — and possibly even worse — with reports from our own State Department describing them as “harsh and life-threatening.” These removals to foreign prisons are not, by any stretch, lawful enforcement of immigration laws — it is cruelty, and an unprecedented abuse of power. We must push Congress to decisively block the administration from continuing with this appalling practice now to protect the freedom and safety of us all.

• In a Meet the Press interview last weekend, President Trump claimed he did not know whether all persons in the U.S. are entitled to due process.  
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said there is “no scenario” in which Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia comes back to the United States, despite the Supreme Court’s order directing the Trump administration to facilitate his return. 
• A newly declassified intelligence memo debunks the rhetoric the administration has used to justify unlawful removals to El Salvador.
• The administration created a second military zone at the U.S.-Mexico border and the military is now arresting migrants for crossing. The Texas Tribune explains how the administration is circumventing the laws that prohibit the military from acting as law enforcement.
• POGO’s Don Bell covers the long history of government surveillance — and the dangers of this present moment — on NPR’s Close All Tabs.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Pentagon finally acknowledges star creep

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a major cut to high-ranking military personnel, including a 20% reduction to four-star generals and admirals. POGO has been scrutinizing officer inflation and its cost to taxpayers since our very beginning, and we support the Pentagon finally addressing the top-heavy nature of our military, but only if it’s a good-faith attempt at reform and not an attempt to politicize the force. Hegseth has so far only provided a half-page memo with no details or timeline explaining how these sweeping changes will be enacted, similar to his sparse one-pager about cutting $5.1 billion from the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon has serious waste issues that must be addressed — but it’ll take serious, actionable reform. 

• OP-ED Hegseth Promises to Save the Pentagon Billions of Dollars. Here’s What Actually Could: The big changes we need to see at the Pentagon will take more than vague memos — we need actionable reform, writes POGO’s Greg Williams.
• We’re opposing the $150 billion Pentagon budget increase being considered by Congress. The Pentagon shouldn’t get another penny over its already bloated budget before its wasteful spending is meaningfully addressed, or it’ll just be more tax dollars down the drain. 

 CHECKS AND (IM)BALANCES

When ethical considerations go out the window

President Trump’s net worth has more than doubled since last year. And a significant portion of that increase has come from his family’s new cryptocurrency ventures, including meme coins and the firm World Liberty Financial. POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian joined ABC during primetime to discuss how the president is testing the limits of financial ethics laws.

• More in USA Today: “President Trump has made it clear he’s going to make as much money as he can while he’s president because he’s president — and he’s unabashed about it,” said Danielle Brian
• MORE SHOCKING CONFLICTS: The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is pushing some nations that are facing tariffs to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system.
• A prison giant (that has hired former ICE officials) is set to profit immensely from the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. “GEO Group’s close relationship with ICE has helped it deal with potential roadblocks,” POGO’s Nick Schwellenbach tells Patch.