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katya schwenk

@katyaschwenk.bsky.social
1.1K followers 214 following 86 posts

reporter at The Lever @levernews.com once alt-weekly writer

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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 01/09/2026
There has been, rightfully, a lot of angst about ICE buying robot dogs and shock gloves. There is not NEARLY enough outrage about the massive detention apparatus they are building out, or the inexperienced contractors "checking in" on migrant children, or collecting fines in foreign countries, etc.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Revolving Door Project @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Excellent reporting from @katyaschwenk.bsky.social for @thelever.bsky.social on how Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, a gas industry front group deploying former Democratic politicians to seed pro-fossil fuel positions among electeds, influenced Hochul's recent anti-environmental decisions.
levernews.com
A Natural Gas Astroturf Group Says It Flipped NY Gov. Hochul
How a front for fossil fuel is using affordability fears, former Democratic officials, and dubious polling to turn establishment Democrats against the climate left.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
NYC-EJA @nycejalliance.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Gov. Hochul has been cozying up to the fossil fuel industry—and @levernews.com has receipts.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Prof. Bob Howarth @profbobhowarth.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
How Gov Hochul decided to abandon the NY climate law and Scoping Plan from the Climate Action Council, pivoting instead to an "all-of-the-above" energy approach. The title of this article says it all.... @leahstokes.bsky.social www.levernews.com/a-natural-ga...
levernews.com
A Natural Gas Astroturf Group Says It Flipped NY Gov. Hochul
How a front for fossil fuel is using affordability fears, former Democratic officials, and dubious polling to turn establishment Democrats against the climate left.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A natural gas astroturf group is boasting that it met with NY Gov Kathy Hochul's office shortly before her decision to greenlight a new pipeline in the state, per industry materials I obtained. The group was founded& is funded by the company behind the new pipeline www.levernews.com/a-natural-ga...
levernews.com
A Natural Gas Astroturf Group Says It Flipped NY Gov. Hochul
How a front for fossil fuel is using affordability fears, former Democratic officials, and dubious polling to turn establishment Democrats against the climate left.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 25/08/2026
🚨🚨A draft DHS statement of work would put voter registration and voter history files from up to all 50 states in the hands of Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of ICE. sam.gov/workspace/co...
sam.gov
Sam Acquisition 360
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
wrote about the new billionaire kingmaker of the Democratic Party and what, exactly, he wants www.levernews.com/how-a-hedge-...
levernews.com
How A Hedge Fund Billionaire Became The Democrats’ New Kingmaker
Stephen Mandel is bankrolling a new political apparatus built to “redefine” the Democratic Party — but what does he actually want?
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Reposted by katya schwenk
JJ in DC @jjindc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
🫵 You can reserve a “priority evac” from hurricanes hitting Florida on the *same planes* that ICE uses to traffic chained humans to Central America. All for just $1250 per year! 😬
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Exclusive: We obtained a leaked playbook that Flock gives to cops to coach them on "how to speak to city council" to avoid getting their contracts canceled. Includes strategies like "own the narrative" by talking to mayor "before public comment periods" www.404media.co/own-the-narr...
404media.co
‘Own the Narrative’: Leaked Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches Cops to Promote Its Tech
"This document shows a coordinated effort from Flock Safety to compel law enforcement agencies to convince our elected leaders to represent their interests as a company rather than the interests of co...
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 30/07/2026
This is a big deal — and if you’ve been following the ICE warehouse story and are looking at the future of ICE’s detention space expansion, this is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Amazing reporting @katyaschwenk.bsky.social
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
How did a Boston developer mired in lawsuits, who is being chased down by creditors for tens of millions in debt, come to play a key role in securing billion-dollar deals for ICE? I wrote about the real estate moguls behind DHS's detention infrastructure buildout www.levernews.com/the-failed-d...
levernews.com
How Troubled Boston Developer James Grossmann Came To Broker ICE’s Billion-Dollar Prison Deals
As his construction empire collapsed under lawsuits and unpaid debts, James Grossmann found a lucrative new role in ICE’s multibillion-dollar detention buying spree.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Silky Shah @silkys13.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
more on this from @katyaschwenk.bsky.social here jacobin.com/2026/03/ice-...
jacobin.com
ICE Is Trying to Avoid Oversight by Buying Private Prisons
The Trump administration is considering purchasing a number of private immigrant detention centers across the US. Doing so may allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to bypass state laws geared at ...
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
I wrote about the new bogeyman being used to justify Trojan horse legislation that grants ICE new surveillance powers (which 144 House Dems voted for last month): Cargo theft. www.levernews.com/the-real-sto...
levernews.com
The Real Story Behind The Highway Robbery Panic
As bipartisan lawmakers consider granting ICE sweeping new information-sharing powers to combat an “explosion” in cargo theft, the data tells a different story.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
New- lawyers for migrant children have not been paid in 5+ months as the Trump administration demands granular, sensitive case information about minor clients, per emails we reviewed. "The walls have been closing in for a long time, but they're slamming shut right now."
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Cynthia Brumfield @metacurity.com · 23/05/2026
The Trump administration gave a $12 million no-bid contract to a firm called Edge Ops--founded to buy a sailboat--to develop surveillance analytics support for tracking immigrants. It used stock photos for its executives and lied about its clients. www.levernews.com/the-ice-surv...
levernews.com
The ICE Surveillance Firm With Missing Executives And Phantom Clients
Edge Ops, the ICE vendor behind a new immigrant-tracking system, appears to have used stock photos, unverifiable executives, and questionable claims to market itself.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 20/05/2026
NEW: A review of DHS forecasting records shows a quick heads-up to vendors for a $10M–$20M contract to keep mothballed ICE warehouses "in serviceable condition pending reactivation" at unspecified locations, on a compressed timeline, and with no public solicitation in sight.
projectsaltbox.com
ICE Moves to Pay Contractor to Maintain Mothballed Warehouses
The procurement notice surfaces as the agency's plan to convert warehouses into detention centers has stalled in court — and as it pivots toward buying existing facilities from private operators.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NEW: Senior Dems on the House Homeland Security Committee have launched an inquiry into ICE vendor Edge Ops LLC's $12 million no-bid surveillance contract, after our reporting found the company was using stock photos & dubious credentials to market itself. www.levernews.com/lawmakers-la...
levernews.com
Lawmakers Launch Probe Into ICE’s Phantom Contractor
The Lever uncovered an ICE contractor’s phantom clients, dubious claims, and disappearing executives. Now Congress is stepping in.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
The Sunday Long Read @thesundaylongread.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Check out this week's newsletter, featuring @arielsabar.bsky.social, @katyaschwenk.bsky.social, @dockterman.bsky.social & more mailchi.mp/41f18e98a5e8...
mailchi.mp
☀️ The Sunday Long Read: Golden Coffins, Steve Kerr, Sandwiches
The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
The Lever @levernews.com · 12/05/2026
🚨 ICE awarded a $12M immigrant-tracking contract to a tiny vendor whose “lead computer scientist” was represented by a stock photo also used by therapy and life-coaching sites. After The Lever asked questions, the executive vanished from its website.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 12/05/2026
This chart reflects PSB's best understanding of the surveillance and data systems tied into ICE operations, from airline reservation data and license plate readers to Palantir and field mobile biometrics. Built from a review of ICE contracts, FOIA documents, technical specs, and public reporting.
A large network diagram maps data flows and surveillance capabilities connected to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. At the top is DHS, branching into ICE, Customs and Border Protection, TSA, and USCIS. ICE further divides into Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.

The chart shows multiple government databases and data streams feeding into immigration enforcement systems. Inputs include detainee telephone services, border intelligence analytics, encounter and removal records, traveler and vehicle imagery, passenger reservation data, checkpoint screening and watchlists, visa and immigration paperwork, DMV records, CODIS DNA data, NCIC and NICS law enforcement databases, and license plate readers. Many of these feed into central databases labeled “IDENT/HART, TECS, EID” and “ImmigrationOS + ICM,” the latter associated with Palantir.

A central node labeled “ICE HSI Raven” connects to commercial surveillance and data analysis tools. Vendors and tools shown include Graphite Spyware, Cobwebs & Tangles, Mobile Fortify, Skip Tracing, Clearview AI, and facial biometrics systems. Companies named in gray labels include Palantir, Clearview AI Inc., Paragon Solutions, Global Recovery Group LLC, Penlink Ltd., CORSIGHT, and SOSi International LLC.

Arrows indicate information sharing between DHS agencies, state and local law enforcement, private surveillance vendors, and ICE field agents at the bottom of the chart. Dashed arrows represent indirect or aggregated data flows. A callout box near the detainee telephone service node references a “10,000 sq ft” technology delegation and event hosting space, proximity to AI model and application companies, 30 permanently assigned agents, and a SAM.gov solicitation number.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Craig Gilmore @craiggilmore.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Zoley told participants that the federal government is considering buying “approximately 10 privately owned turn-key ICE processing centers.” “We have been in discussions with ICE regarding the potential sale of multiple facilities,” Zoley said on the call. 1/2
theappeal.org
GEO Group CEO Calls Lawsuits Against ICE Detention Facilities “Unwarranted” and “Unconstitutional”
Private prison executive suggests federal government may buy detention facilities to circumvent state laws.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Debt Collective 🟥 @debtcollective.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The Trump admin weaponizes debt against immigrants. We saw this coming—but now there's a twist. Homeland Security slaps immigrants with massive civil penalties to force self-deporting. And they're outsourcing debt collection to the most abusive hounders—student loan companies.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
After an obscure defense vendor won a $12 million no-bid contract w/ ICE, I noticed something odd on its website: The firm was using a (still watermarked!) stock photo for the chief of its “development team.” Things only got more bizarre from there…
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 15/04/2026
New: Judge Hurson granted @oagmaryland.bsky.social's request for a temporary injunction in Maryland v. Mullin, pausing retrofitting work at the Williamsport warehouse. ICE may proceed only with limited repairs pending a full environmental review. No conversion work may continue.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
ICE just signed a $12 mil contract for an AI tool that purports to track the “behavioral patterns” of targets. Perhaps most notable here: this provides new insight into the shadowy National Coordination Center, a new hub for collaboration btwn ICE& the military www.levernews.com/inside-ices-...
levernews.com
Inside ICE’s $12 Million Plan To Map Immigrants’ “Patterns Of Life”
Immigration officials will spend $12.2 million to deploy Project SAFE HAVEN, an AI geotracking tool that “transforms the way we identify, locate, and map illegal migrants.”
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Reposted by katya schwenk
David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Why are the CEO of the Texas Tribune and the co-founder of Cal Matters both on the board of a group that takes a hardline position in factional Democratic Party debates, when they are reporting on those debates? www.levernews.com/the-moderate...
levernews.com
The “Moderate” Think Tank Backed By AI Money
The Searchlight Institute has pushed Democrats toward lighter regulation of AI and data centers while keeping quiet about board ties to Simone Cox, whose family fortune is linked to Nvidia.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
In a letter to DOD, Sen. Warren notes that the Pentagon's $55 billion "WEXMAC TITUS" spending program, designed to expedite ICE detention, may rely on an loophole buried in the last defense bill, which for the first time gave DOD authority to send defense vendors to the border.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
We still don’t know which facilities ICE wants to purchase; and I’ve also heard rumblings that ICE may want to buy more than 10. Notably, ICE is in a bit of a Brewster’s Millions situation here; they have 3.5 years to spend what is still probably around $40 billion on detention. That’s so much.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 27/03/2026
“But a second proposal in the document has largely flown under the radar: ICE’s plan to purchase 10 “turnkey facilities,” private detention centers where its Enforcement and Removal Operations arm already operates.” @katyaschwenk.bsky.social
levernews.com
How ICE Could Buy Its Way Out Of State Oversight
Trump’s immigration enforcers are considering buying private detention centers — a move that could shield facilities from state oversight and lawsuits over abuse.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
In February, internal documents revealed ICE's plans to buy its ten of its detention centers from the private prison firms that own and operate them. This proposal has largely flown under the radar. But I found it could have serious consequences. www.levernews.com/how-ice-coul...
levernews.com
How ICE Could Buy Its Way Out Of State Oversight
Trump’s immigration enforcers are considering buying private detention centers — a move that could shield facilities from state oversight and lawsuits over abuse.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
NEW: Amid the Pentagon's bitter battle with Anthropic over military use of its AI, the Trump administration is advancing an extreme new contracting clause that would force *all* AI vendors to allow carte-blanche use of their technology, including for fully autonomous weapons.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 18/03/2026
5/ The RMP tool is just one of many public datasets that the EPA has removed in the last year. When critical information about environmental threats are hidden from the public, workers and communities pay the price.
levernews.com
Before A Steel Plant Exploded, Trump’s EPA Hid Risks From The Public
The Pittsburgh plant that exploded on Monday had a history of chemical accidents — and the Trump administration made that secret.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Darya Minovi (she/her) @dminovi.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Thanks to @katyaschwenk.bsky.social for this important reporting!
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Here's the first-ever Linkedin message from this company, which seems to be a small company run by two millennials with some background in migrant shelters. Four months ago they suggest they won a contract to run a "mass care site" in Lexington, KY, but this is their first-ever federal contract.
Anovaeon
416 followers 
11 months ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

🚨 Our New Website is LIVE! 🚨

We’re thrilled to announce that our updated website is officially live — and it reflects a major shift in who we are and where we’re going.

Anovaeon is no longer just a consulting company — we’re a full-blown a humanitarian solutions company. That means bringing together the right expertise, the right staff, and the right tools to deliver meaningful support in humanitarian response operations.

Humanitarianism is about people. Complex emergencies — whether driven by conflict, disaster, or global migration patterns — ultimately affect human lives. Our job is to step up and care for those affected, without judgment or hesitation.

Now more than ever, the world needs agile, tech-savvy, and lean solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. That’s exactly what we’re building.

👉 Take a look at the new site and let us know what you think!
 🔗 https://anovaeon.com/

A huge thank you to our friends at DITA Group Inc. for the incredible design and development work — you nailed it.

hashtag Humanitarian Solutions hashtag Humanitarian Response hashtag Innovation hashtag New Website
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
NEW: DHS's "chief AI officer" and head of its biometric surveillance operation came to the agency straight from defense tech vendor Anduril — a position conveniently kept off his public resume. www.levernews.com/the-spy-tech...
levernews.com
The Spy-Tech Insider Running Homeland Security’s Biometric Dragnet
The official overseeing Homeland Security’s expanding database of faces, fingerprints, and iris scans worked for Anduril, a defense contractor that could profit from the program.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
We got a draft of the supposed "ban" on Wall Street buying single-family homes that the White House has been pushing. It actually just bars states from regulating these investors. www.levernews.com/gop-housing-...
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Reposted by katya schwenk
David Sirota @davidsirota.com · 13/02/2026
🚨NEWS: Trump quietly dismantled ICE's civil liberties enforcement office as the agency faces 6,000 complaints, according to court records reviewed by @levernews.com. Without the office, Congress-mandated ICE reforms could go unenforced. Dems have not been pressing to reverse the cuts.
levernews.com
The Watchdog Designed To Keep ICE In Check Is Being Quietly Erased
Trump largely dismantled ICE’s civil rights oversight office. Now, as Congress clashes over Homeland Security funding, its fate hangs in the balance.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
"Flint Development is involved in another property deal with ICE, in El Paso... Flint Development recently stripped information about its executive team from its website; those details were available as recently as December, before its dealings with DHS became public..." jacobin.com/2026/02/ware...
jacobin.com
Real Estate Brokers Are Profiting From Warehouse Sales to ICE
Lucrative deals selling empty warehouses to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the Trump administration’s mass deportation machine are being quietly facilitated by a handful of powerful real esta...
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Reposted by katya schwenk
The Rooster @rooster.info · 01/02/2026
A Rooster dispatch from Feb. 2023: "East Palestine is what the future looks like." It holds up, I think. www.rooster.info/p/east-pales...
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
In November, I went to East Palestine, Ohio, to understand how the "historic" $600 million settlement over the 2023 derailment has so badly failed residents, but made some lawyers and shady companies very rich. www.levernews.com/the-derailme...
levernews.com
The Derailment That Never Ended
Three years after the East Palestine disaster, everybody’s gotten paid — except the victims.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
404media.co
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.
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The Lever @levernews.com · 30/01/2026
🚨 SCOOP: Three years after a train full of toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, the lawyers have been paid. The company hired to run the settlement has taken its fees. But many of the people who were told relief was coming are still waiting.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Democrats allowed the ICE funding bill to pass the House w/ basically no resistance on Thurs, but boasted it included $20 million for bodycams (nevermind that ICE has $75 billion at its disposal!) Wrote ab how this is just a giveaway to Axon: www.levernews.com/how-democrat...
levernews.com
How Democrat-Backed ICE “Reforms” Became A $20 Million Bodycam Giveaway
Federal disclosures show body camera giant Axon lobbied for months as lawmakers carved out millions for the technology.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Eric Schmeltzer @ericschmeltzer.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Via @katyaschwenk.bsky.social on Twitter/X account. I'm sure Susan Collins' "concern" will fend off the pending chaos and death as Maine becomes the next Minnesota.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
while ICE has slashed training requirements for new recruits, it's also bringing in sketchy private security firms to train its elite tactical units (like the one Jonathan Ross is a member of) on "advanced techniques once exclusive to military protection units" www.levernews.com/shadow-contr...
levernews.com
Shadow Contractors Are Training ICE’s Attack Teams
ICE is spending big on firearms, munitions, and politically connected weapons training firms to further militarize its forces.
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Reposted by katya schwenk
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
New: we've obtained material explaining how an ICE surveillance system, called Webloc, works. Draw shape on a map, see all phones available there, follow them home. All without warrant “This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
404media.co
Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods
404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or t...
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
A broad and "highly unusual" conflict of interest waiver was just issued to a former Grok employee now working as a senior official at the Dept. of Commerce. It allows him to keep his shares as he works at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to craft AI policy. www.levernews.com/groks-inside...
levernews.com
Grok’s Inside Man In Washington
A former X exec who worked on Elon Musk’s embattled Grok chatbot got a “highly unusual” carveout to keep his company shares while working as the U.S. Patent Office’s “chief AI officer.”
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Boycott Citizens @boycottcitizens.org · 19/12/2025
Earlier this week, ICE awarded skip tracing contracts worth $1.1 BILLION to companies to help it locate some 1.5 million immigrants. Half of those companies have little to no federal contracting experience. National Protective Services is one of them. 🧵
Screenshot of header of National Protective Services website, with its private security license number and alarm company registration number.
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
2) In May, @katyaschwenk.bsky.social wrote about the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) that owns the Travel Intelligence Program providing "real-time travel data access to law enforcement.” Granular data, flight itineraries, passenger name, and financial info–39 months of past & future travel.
levernews.com
Airlines Are Collecting Your Data And Selling It To ICE
An aviation industry clearinghouse is collecting passenger information from billions of past and future flights and selling it to Trump’s immigration enforcers.
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katya schwenk @katyaschwenk.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The final defense bill passed yesterday by the House will allow the Pentagon to send defense contractors to the U.S.-Mexico border. I wrote about this unprecedented proposal in September: www.levernews.com/defense-bill...
levernews.com
Defense Bill Opens Door To Guns-For-Hire At The Border
The must-pass legislation that just passed the House would, for the first time, allow the Pentagon to send private military contractors to the border.
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