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Matthew Blanton

@matthewblanton.bsky.social
168 followers 190 following 105 posts

Sociologist and demographer. Forced migration and immigration enforcement. English and Spanish. @utaustinsoc & @UTPopCenter www.matthewblanton.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Matthew Blanton
Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 10/09/2026
Today, we filed a FOIA request with DHS concerning an AI-generated image the @DHSgov X account posted this morning. The image depicts a Transformer facing a South Asian man, over a caption telling "Mr. Singh" to self-deport and get off American roads. We want the prompt.
AI-generated image posted by the DHS account on X, styled as a movie poster. A blue and red robot with the Department of Homeland Security seal on its chest faces a bearded South Asian man in a blue bandana and a monogrammed shirt. A city skyline sits between them at sunset. Text between the two faces reads "SELF-DEPORT OR FIND OUT." Below, in the Transformers logo and typeface, "TRANSFORMERS: AMERICA FOR AMERICANS," and beneath that, "GET OFF OUR ROADS, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE MR. SINGH." A garbled credit block runs along the bottom.First page of a Project Salt Box FOIA request to the DHS Privacy Office, dated September 9, 2026, addressed to the Office of Public Affairs. It seeks records about the use of generative AI to produce public-facing imagery published by DHS, and describes the image posted to the @DHSgov account that morning.
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 04/09/2026
Flock hosted a webinar on how to use its license plate–tracking cameras. trib.al/npGrFGT
trib.al
Leaked Video Shows Flock Taught Cops How to Hunt No Kings Protesters
Flock hosted a webinar on how to use its license plate–tracking cameras.
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Dr. SkySkull @drskyskull.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Our food supply is just MadLibs now. "_____ has been recalled due to possible contamination with _____."
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Robert P. Jones @robertpjones.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
These side by side images tell the story: Trump welcomes only white South Africans while ICE descends on Haitians who have fled violence & established lives here legally. By abruptly ending TPS for Haitians & initiating mass deportations, our government is gleefully enacting racial apartheid in US.
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is an incredible book!
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Stephen Judkins @stephenjudkins.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
It's pretty infuriating that Trump is denying disaster aid to Oregon for political reasons and I have barely heard anything about it, while Biden was falsely accused of doing the exact same thing to North Carolina and millions of people believed that
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Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
A Polish-born woman in Des Plaines who “had done everything right” has been in ICE custody for the past year. Green Card for 20 years, sought citizenship. “And it didn’t matter.” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/27/i...
chicagotribune.com
Illinois woman with green card has been detained by ICE for 12 months. Her daughters plead for her release.
ICE arrested Beata Siemionkowicz, a Poland native and green card holder of more than two decades, last year while she was gardening in her daughter’s backyard in Des Plaines.
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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This story is crazy. It would appear Trump admin officials rigged their nationally televised high school civics contest to keep a young man from a Sikh family out of the finalists. www.notus.org/national/ame...
notus.org
Suspicion and Doubt at the National Civics Contest
America’s finest young scholars competed to mark their country's birthday. It led to a disputed finish in the age of mistrust.
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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
We’ve seen so much cruelty from ICE over the past year. But using kids as “bait” to arrest & detain their relatives is a new level of evil. I witnessed it last week at 201 Varick Street. Per this article in the Texas Tribune, it’s happened over 100X. (1/3)
texastribune.org
ICE arresting relatives trying to take custody of migrant kids
Attorneys say the federal agencies are using children as “bait” to detain sponsors, leaving kids waiting in shelters for months.
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Trump has turned the White House into a 24/7 corruption operation. This is a national crisis. Trump thinks the public will stop paying attention. So I went to the Senate floor to call his bluff. I told the ENTIRE STORY of his 500 days of corruption. 1/ Here it is - in one🧵
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Sergio Perez @sergioperez.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Stoking hate and racial fear, Trump’s website refers to our abducted neighbors as “it.” Absolutely abhorrent.
Screenshot of a White House website reading:

If 'you' ve witnessed an Alien abduction, do not be alarmed.
The Alien.is in good hands:'
We will take care of it... and return 'it safely to its place of origin.
REPORT
SUSPICIOUS
ALIENS → ICE
TIP LINE
× JOIN NOW
whitehouse.gov - Private
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
New Research! My article in @prpr-journal.bsky.social is the first systematic validation of CBP apprehensions as a proxy for undocumented migration in nearly 30 years, with evidence from Guatemala at both national and subnational levels. Spoiler: they still work. 🔓 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Brief Report: Are Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Apprehensions a Reliable Proxy for Undocumented Migration? New Evidence on Migration from Guatemala - Population Research and Policy Review
Researchers have long relied on United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehension data as a proxy for undocumented migration, yet the last time their validity was assessed was in 1995. Si...
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 06/05/2026
trump is breaking y axes left and right
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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
This is what Elon threw into the wood chipper: “Gawande cited an analysis in The Lancet that estimated that USAID assistance—aimed at combatting diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, & polio, reducing maternal & child deaths, & fighting malnutrition—had saved 92 million lives over 2 decades.“
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
I'm at a cafe working next to a group of 70-year old women who are knitting. They are currently alternating between discussing health issues and their thoughts on Pulp Fiction. Division between those who think "it's a strange movie," and the ones who "just love to watch John Travolta dance." 😂
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
IYKYK
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Piers Morgan: "If the wisdom of the crowd is anything to go by, there’s now a greater chance of impromptu regime change in the US than Iran. And it may well be both"
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Wow. What a stunning visual
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Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 12/03/2026
I knew that the Department of War shot a missile into a school & killed 175 civilians, mostly children. This is learned today: Secretary of War Hegseth had cut the teams assigned to prevent such tragedies by 90%. www.npr.org/2026/03/11/n...
After a series of fatal strikes involving civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress directed the Pentagon to reduce civilian casualties as part of a 2019 law. During the Biden administration, the Defense Department created the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response initiative.

The civilian mitigation teams – cut by 90% by Hegseth – work with military commanders on target planning, and making sure that targets are actually military sites. The teams help come up with "no strike" lists, including religious and cultural sites and schools
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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 08/10/2023
Where is Iran? Each dot represents an American's guess. pro.morningconsult.com/articles/can... 🌐
This map shows widely dispersed dots representing the guesses of US survey respondents about the location of Iran on a world map. 23% placed a dot in the correct area.
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Amazing reference. No notes. Chef's kiss.
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David J. Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Today @cato.org published our report providing the first look at the fiscal effects of the wave of legal & illegal immigration over the last 3 decades. It shows immigrants created surpluses every year, by a combined $14.5 trillion, even as deficits grew www.cato.org/white-paper/...
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
. @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social My wife, kids (4 and 7) and I have been hunting birds for almost a year with the Merlin app. I told them early on we would have a "bird party" when we hit 50. Well we did it today! Red-bellied Woodpecker. Now I actually have to plan the party! 😅 Any ideas?
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Judge Biery signed the order with a photo of Liam and two bible verses: The first is "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The second is simply "Jesus wept." Astonishing thing for a judge to do.
Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: "Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?" "A republic, if you
can keep it."
With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike,
It is so ORDERED.
SIGNED this 31st day of February, 2026.
 _________________________________________________
 FRED BIERY
 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

[photo of Liam]
Credit: Bystander
Matthew 19:14
John 11:35
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
1. I am a resident of the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am over 18 years of age. I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting.
2. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at about 8:50 am, I was getting ready to go to work when I heard whistles outside. I knew the whistles meant that ICE agents were in the area, so I decided to check it out on my way to work. I've been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors. Connecting to your local community and knowing who your neighbors are is something I profoundly value.
3. I drove to Nicollet Ave. and 26th where I could hear the whistles coming from. I turned south onto Nicollet. There were already several ICE agents there and they'd set up a sort of vehicle convoy on Nicollet and 28th. There were also about 15 observers there, recording and observing ICE.
4. I saw ICE agents surrounding cars and punching car windows. I also saw them stopping vehicles further down Nicollet, so I backed up because I didn't feel safe continuing on.
5. I noticed a man sort of acting to help traffic move more smoothly. He helped me find a place to park. I got out with my whistle and my camera. I went over to him and said something like, "I'm going to film and use my whistle."
6. It seemed like most ICE activity was happening a little farther down the street from us, near 27th. Someone was being thrown to the ground.7. I started recording. There was an agent by a car across the street. Two observers were a few feet away from the agent, blowing their whistles. One was wearing a backpack.
8. I and the man who was observing and helping direct traffic were standing in the street. There was a phone in the man's hand recording a video.
9. An agent approached and asked us to back up, so I moved slowly back onto the sidewalk.
10. The man stayed in the street, filming as the other observers I mentioned earlier were being forced backward by another ICE agent threatening them with pepper spray. The man went closer to support them as they got threatened, just with his camera out. I didn't see him reach for or hold a gun.
11. Then the ICE agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him.
12. Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes.13. The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them-he wasn't even turned toward them. It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.
14.1 don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.
15. The video I recorded of what happened accurately depicts the events leading up to the agents shooting him and several minutes afterwards. The video is attached as Exhibit 1.
16. I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong. The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.
17. I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don't know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they're not telling the truth about what happened. I've heard that other witnesses might have been arrested and taken to the Whipple Building.
18. I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bearwitness, because it can't just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values.
I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct.

Dated and signed on Jan 24, 2026 in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota.
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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 24/01/2026
If you're in New York, please take two minutes right now to call Governor Hochul and tell her to support and sign New York 4 All, which would prevent state and local agencies from collaborating with ICE. 518-474-8390. This is important.
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Matt McDermott @mattmfm.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
ICE is now responsible for 66% of the homicides in Minneapolis this year.
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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Wow, @gelliottmorris.com made a detailed map of Trump approval *at the sub-county level.* Of course, there are assumptions that have to be made, but it's quite rigorous. Certainly the best info in the public domain. 👀 southern Texas 👀 Check it out: www.gelliottmorris.com/p/a-very-det...
Elliot Morris map of Trump approval derived with MRP at the Census PUMA level
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.
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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Please share - multiple summer 2026 in-person undergrad internship opportunities at @pewresearch.org! - religion - digital - social trends - data journalism - global - news - internet - AI - admin - race - science - methods - politics Apply soon! pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
The summer undergraduate internship is a paid opportunity during the summer of 2026. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 30 hours/week and are paid $18.50/hour. This internship is available to undergraduate students with an interest in public opinion, survey research, and data science.   

Pew Research Center is an office-based workplace, with all staff working in the Center’s Washington, D.C., office three core days weekly (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).  Staff have the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. A modest relocation stipend is available for candidates who need it.  

 

Internship dates: June 1-Aug. 14, 2026 (with alternative dates of June 15-Aug. 28, 2026 also available) 

 

Education/Training/Experience 

College students who are pursuing a bachelor’s or associate degree and have completed a minimum of two years (in other words, rising juniors and seniors).
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
👀👀🙃
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
This is really important investigative work and deeply troubling.
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Ambassador Ken Fairfax (ret) @portlandken.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Remember right after ICE murdered Renee Good when they shot a second person, this time in the leg? They put out an elaborate story about the man assaulting ICE agents, ramming them, etc. Only one problem: it was all a lie, as shown by multiple videos and the transcripts of calls to 911. ICE lies.
cnn.com
Aftermath video of latest ICE shooting in Minneapolis involving an undocumented Venezuelan national | CNN
Newly obtained videos of the moments right after the Wednesday incident in which an Immigration and Custom Enforcement agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg for allegedly assaulting an officer in Min...
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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Please share: Pew Research Center will provide $3,000 each for 19 new papers using our recent global datasets. We encourage reuse of our Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures data! www.pewresearch.org/2026/01/16/seek…
To encourage reuse of our data, Pew Research Center, with support from the John Templeton Foundation, invites researchers to submit proposals for new research publications that use one or more of the following datasets (collectively, Datasets) from the Global Religious Futures (GRF) project:  Global Restrictions on Religion 2007-2022 dataset. This cumulative dataset includes measures of government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion in nearly 200 countries and territories. Spring 2024 Survey. This dataset includes measures of religion and spirituality in 35 countries. (Comparable data was also collected in 2023 and 2024 for the United States. The downloadable materials which accompany the international dataset include additional information about U.S. data.) Dataset of Global Religious Composition Estimates for 2010 and 2020. This dataset includes estimates of the size of seven major religious groups in more than 200 countries and territories. We encourag
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David J. Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
New research: Noncitizens Were Underrepresented in Welfare Fraud Convictions in 2024. Noncitizens were 8% less likely to be convicted of welfare fraud in 2024, and they were 28% less likely to be convicted of fraud that imposed monetary losses to the government.
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
There is going to some interesting polisci research that goes on after this about what happens when guys like this to come out of his "cushy house" (his words) and make explitive filled rants about government overreach. Spoiler alert: it's not good for the regime
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
When self-employed software engineer Nick Benson put out the call for dashcams online, he thought he’d get maybe 10 people to donate. More than 500 have shown up on his front porch. Here's how one guy crowdsourced 500+ dashcams for Minneapolis to film ICE www.404media.co/how-one-guy-...
404media.co
How One Guy Crowdsourced More Than 500 Dashcams for Minneapolis to Film ICE
‘We have to make sure people are watching. We have to make sure we’re keeping track of our community members.’
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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
This agency is out of control if leadership is no longer checking violations of constitutional rights. Congress absolutely must step in before more people are kidnapped/killed.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
NEW: Data released by ICE shows that virtually the entire growth of detention in the last few months has been among people with no criminal record at all - no prior convictions (no matter how minor) and no pending criminal charges.
Chart showing "Detention Population, Among Those Arrested in the interior, by Criminal Record, May 2019 through January 27, 2026. There are three lines on the graph: prior conviction, pending criminal charges, and no criminal record. from 2019 through January 2025, "prior conviction" is by far the highest, followed by pending charges much lower down and "no criminal record" the lowest. During the Biden admin, very few people arrested by ICE in the interior and detained had no criminal record. Beginning in January 2025, all three lines jump, but the highest spike is among those with no criminal records. By September, that has become the single largest. Since that point, there are now thousands more people in detention with no criminal record than people with prior convictions.
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I'm grateful to @austinkocher.com for articulating this position so well.
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Ken Jennings @kenjennings.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 07/01/2026
the trump approval charts on the data hub are updated www.gelliottmorris.com/p/data
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 06/01/2026
One of Trump’s biggest innovations in American politics is to openly confess to his corruption. Speaking to reporters, he did just that: “We need total access—we need access to the oil and to other things in their country." Asked specifically about oil: “We’re gonna run everything.” trib.al/BMI6uwT
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
amazing how the entire machine can pivot within 24 hours. no need to slowly upsell the argument; just issue new marching orders
Matt Walsh tweeted last year: "We've spent the last 25 years bringing "freedom" and "democracy" to countries around the globe while our own country has been systematically invaded and now our largest cities are run by foreigners and communists. If you want to know why I'm so avowedly non-interventionist, this is why."

Then he tweeted today: ""This is a war for oil!!!!!"

First of all, the "war" lasted like 90 minutes. Second, going to war to secure vital resources for your own people is totally legitimate. Why should we allow some third world communist shithole to control trillions of dollars worth of oil?"Laura Loomer tweeted last year: "I’m America First, I don’t support “Regime Change”. I went on @Bannons_WarRoom to talk about Chinese aggression in Venezuela and why we need to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign Islamic terrorist organization."

Then she tweeted yesterday: "Maduro has arrived at the DEA office in Manhattan. He was transported in an armored motorcade after being transported in a blindfold via helicopter & then by plane to New York after his compound in Caracas was raided by US Special Forces.

Proud to be an American today!

USA 🇺🇸"Catturd tweeted last year: "Name one U.S. inspired regime change that hasn’t ended in absolute disaster."

Then he tweeted yesterday: "Venezuela is now more free than New York City."Will Chamberlain tweeted last year: "The Republican Party is no longer the party of regime change and endless wars

If you want to be its standard-bearer that is a non-negotiable position"

Then he tweeted yesterday: "I can think of few better uses of my tax dollars than black-bagging the head of a foreign narco-trafficking organization that enriches itself by addicting and poisoning my fellow Americans"
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Trump: We need Greenland. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships. Reporter: What would the justification be for a claim to Greenland? Trump: The EU needs us to have it.
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
CNN: We have major breaking news. CNN just learning of explosions in Caracas, Venezuela… We have now have CNN's own teams that have personally witnessed explosions.
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Matthew Blanton @matthewblanton.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
My mother-in-law has never even heard of Die Hard? She keeps pronouncing it Die HARD with a question at the end. I feel like I'm going crazy!
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Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · 11/12/2025
When asked about how the Trump administration’s deportation efforts are impacting their own communities, nearly half of Latinos say they feel less safe. Explore our full report:
pewresearch.org
Majorities of Latinos Disapprove of Trump and His Policies on Immigration, Economy 
78% of Hispanics say Trump’s policies harm their group, but views of the president and policies differ widely by how they voted in 2024.
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