Guardian senior reporter, based in Los Angeles. Sam.Levin@theguardian [dot] com. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/sam-levinhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mklhile2jk2xNEW: Corshelle Jenkins was falsely charged with a crime + a warrant issued for her arrest. It was clear mistaken identity but a judge said there were no available lawyers for her. The charge would stay + she had no way to fight it She's 1 of 1000s in Oregon trapped in criminal cases without lawyers https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/oregon-public-defender-crisis-courts28 Apr 2026 20:49 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklhile2jk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mkb2qaf2zc2fNEW: Law enforcement + city officials across the US have privately worried ICE operations are interfering with police work + public safety Internal memos reveal growing concerns people might misidentify local cops as ICE. Records obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org, shared with @us.theguardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/24/ice-police-danger-us24 Apr 2026 17:34 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkb2qaf2zc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mjig6yaxgs2dDOJ prosecutes a California man who was shot in the face by ICE agents DOJ/DHS say Carlos, 36, "assaulted" officers with his car, but video doesn't show his car hitting officers + officials haven't claimed an agent was injured. FBI's complaint says it has "not been able" to interview key ICE agents https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/fbi-arrests-california-man-shot-ice-assault14 Apr 2026 22:22 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjig6yaxgs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mj5tq4iyx222ICE pulled over a man in Patterson, CA + shot him 6 times, hitting his face. ICE now says he is part of a gang in LA – a city he has no connection to. Carlos Mendoza Hernandez, 36, now in ICU, says he's "never ever been in a gang" + was shot without justification https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/09/california-ice-shooting-man-accusation10 Apr 2026 17:25 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5tq4iyx222https://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mhegxixtcs26California residents are now being sent to prison for shoplifting. In the first year of Prop 36, shoplifters have been charged with felonies + imprisoned for stealing diapers, hygiene supplies, a $13 belt, groceries and soda. DAs filed 15,000+ felonies for thefts previously treated as misdemeanors https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/california-prop-36-drug-treatment18 Mar 2026 21:35 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhegxixtcs26https://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mhdx3owna22jNEW: California DAs have charged nearly 20,000 people with drug possession *felonies* under Prop 36, a new tough-on-crime law. Despite promises for "mass treatment," only 57 of those people have successfully gone into treatment + had their cases dismissed in the first year. Others face prison time. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/california-prop-36-drug-treatment18 Mar 2026 16:51 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhdx3owna22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mh6yugajzk2dUnder oath, ICE agents in Oregon revealed: -quota of eight arrests a day per team, equaling roughly 50 arrests a day in OR -agents use a special app to choose areas + ppl to surveil -agents have followed, stopped + arrested ppl without probable cause, warrants or basic info about their targets. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/ice-agent-court-testimony-oregon16 Mar 2026 17:39 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh6yugajzk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mgxya2v3es2cNEW: Judge orders ICE to release a Minneapolis man and asylum seeker unlawfully detained for 50 days. In January, Elvis Joel TE + his 2-year-old were arrested without a warrant + flown to Texas despite an order barring their transfer. The girl was later released, but he remain jailed until today. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/judge-minneapolis-detention-order13 Mar 2026 22:39 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgxya2v3es2chttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mgfywczfl22vNEW: ICE tackled + arrested Juanita Avila, an Oregon shop owner who is a legal permanent resident and had her green card in her pocket. When she asked through sobs why they didn't believe her, one masked agent replied: “Because they lie all the time.” Video + interview with her and her daughter: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/06/ice-arrest-oregon-shop-owner06 Mar 2026 19:04 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgfywczfl22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mffkkip7gs2sA MN protester accused of assaulting ICE officer had case dropped after vids showed no assault. LA protester accused of assaulting ICE w/ “hat” had case dropped; judge said govt acted in “bad faith” In Chicago, 92 ppl were arrested for assault/impeding ICE; 0 convicted DOJ keeps lying and losing: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/21/doj-protesters-federal-agents-cases?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other21 Feb 2026 21:22 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mffkkip7gs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mf5vhuwmys2vNEW: Two women incarcerated in a CA prison have come forward to report sexual assaults by a staff cook while they were working in the kitchen, paid 12¢/hr. They told me he threatened discipline if they spoke up. The prison concluded abuse occurred, a very rare outcome, but he hasn't faced charges. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/18/california-womens-prison-ciw-chino18 Feb 2026 20:16 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf5vhuwmys2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mekklnim522vNEW: Jonathon Redondo-Rosales, a 36-year-old LA protester, spent six months in jail accused of assaulting a federal officer with a *cloth hat.* A judge tossed out the DOJ’s case, accusing govt of acting in “bad faith” and engaging in “prosecutorial harassment“ that could “chill lawful protest” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/los-angeles-protester-jonathon-redondo-rosales11 Feb 2026 03:40 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mekklnim522vhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3me5o4g6xk22dMore than 1,400 pending criminal cases in Oregon must be dismissed due to a huge shortage of public defenders, state supreme court ruled. Many defendants have waited months or years to get a lawyer, a constitutional violation leaving them unable to fight charges, indefinitely derailing their lives. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/05/oregon-supreme-court-ruling-attorney-shortage06 Feb 2026 00:39 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3me5o4g6xk22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3me33onwf522gElizabeth, a 10-year-old Minnesota girl, spent a month detained at the ICE facility in Dilley, TX before her release last night w/ her mom. Dilley now has a measles outbreak and hundreds of other kids remain detained. Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms and her mom has hives, a school official told me https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/04/minnesota-ice-immigration-elizabeth-caisaguano05 Feb 2026 00:04 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3me33onwf522ghttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mdw5345y322cAfter Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting. But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/portland-venezuelans-shot-border-patrol-court03 Feb 2026 00:45 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdw5345y322chttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mdszsmjsak22Liam, 5, has been freed, but four other students from his school district remain detained in Texas. Two boys from his elementary school were taken Thurs “This isn’t something we are prepared or trained for. We’ve dedicated our lives to protecting + educating children,” school superintendent told me https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/30/ice-detains-kids-minnesota-liam-ramos-school01 Feb 2026 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdszsmjsak22https://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mcya732pyc2kICE detained a 5-year-old Minnesota boy coming home from school + took him and his dad to Texas, school officials say. The family has an active asylum case + entered the US at a port of entry. "They’re taking children. They're not violent criminals. They're little kids," the superintendent told me. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/21/ice-arrests-five-year-old-boy-minnesota22 Jan 2026 03:21 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcya732pyc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3mcddojbmfs2xNEW: Five trans youth athletes speak out about what school sports means to them + the toll of exclusion. "Sports is my escape" -Lina, 14-yr-old tennis + track athlete. "We’re just kids. We’re just trying to have fun…We’re not trying to be monsters. We’re just trying to find connection + community." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/trans-youth-athletes-ban-supreme-court-case13 Jan 2026 19:58 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcddojbmfs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3maebb2u6ak27NEW: The FBI has launched "domestic terrorism" investigations into anti-ICE activity across the US. Some cases are under Trump's NSPM-7 order to crackdown on "anti-fascism" and "anti-Americanism." Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org + shared w/ Guardian include FBI map of cases in 30+ states: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/19/fbi-terrorism-investigations-anti-ice-activity19 Dec 2025 17:57 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3maebb2u6ak27https://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3m7bkhkzpnc2tDOJ is ending protections against sexual abuse in prisons for LGBTQ+ people. Trans, intersex, nonconforming, queer folks already faced rampant violence behind bars, but a new memo says "effective immediately" institutions won't be held responsible for violations. "It's a green light for predators." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/05/doj-prison-lgbtq-sexual-abuse-protections05 Dec 2025 22:38 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7bkhkzpnc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3m65x74ogek2bNEW: The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of NY immigrants' rights volunteers organizing court watch+ labeled activists “anarchist violent extremist actors.” Joint FBI/NYPD report shows law enforcement accessed private planning convo of ppl monitoring ICE Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/fbi-signal-group-chat-immigration21 Nov 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3m65x74ogek2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3m5faqk6zl22oNEW: The US has deported a longtime Oregon firefighter who was arrested by Border Patrol while deployed at a major wildfire in Washington state. José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time: “I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/11/washington-firefighter-deported-mexico11 Nov 2025 23:04 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5faqk6zl22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3m3vhm6l2uc2lNEW: police depts across the US spread a false story that Venezuelan gang members were planning to kill officers. Records obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org and shared with @theguardian.com, reveal that the FBI quietly acknowledged a widely shared rumor about Tren de Aragua was false. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/23/venezuela-tren-de-aragua-gang-police23 Oct 2025 22:59 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3vhm6l2uc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3m2klgiq5d222NEW: Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom "deceived" the Supreme Court + "profoundly misrepresented" LGBTQ+ research, according to scholars cited by ADF. Quoted experts speak out about ADF's "distortions" + "false evidence" in major case, on deck tomorrow, to revive "conversion therapy" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/06/alliance-defending-freedom-supreme-court-conversion-therapy06 Oct 2025 21:43 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2klgiq5d222https://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3lztjsoigpk2xNEW: Six people detained in California’s newest + largest ICE facility speak out, saying they are confined in filthy cells, struggling to access basic medications, going hungry due to insufficient food, drinking dirty water, and faced with “military-like” staff. “This place is built to break us” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/immigrants-california-detention-facility27 Sep 2025 17:43 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3lztjsoigpk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/samtlevin.bsky.social/post/3lz7jtqj7v22a👽 🛡️ 👑 🤘🏼 ⚔️ 🥷 🚂 🏛️ 🍓 Those are emojis the FBI, NYPD, CBP and US Army have said could be signs of affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang + part of their “code language”, internal records show. “Just like tattoos, we could see folks rounded up + tortured based solely on their use of certain emojis” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/19/fbi-cbp-tren-de-aragua-emojis19 Sep 2025 18:51 +0000at://did:plc:wkwznppeeuglgghcet7mch4g/app.bsky.feed.post/3lz7jtqj7v22a