Every day, scenes reminiscent of 1930s Nazi Germany or Cold War-era US-backed Latin American dictatorships are unfolding across the United States. Immigrants, legal residents, tourists—even US citizens—are being arbitrarily detained and disappeared into a network of remote detention centers without due process.
Two men abducted at Virginia courthouse by alleged immigration agents
On Tuesday, two men in Charlottesville, Virginia were abducted at the Albemarle County Courthouse by men believed to be immigration agents. A disturbing video published by The Daily Progress showed a man being detained by three plain-clothed men, one of whom concealed his face with a balaclava.
The presumed agents presented no badges or warrants when confronted by two women from the Immigration Rapid Response Hotline—a national coalition of human rights advocates, lawyers and volunteers. In the video, the women nonviolently tried to block the agents from taking the man, demanding to see a warrant.
The apparent leader, dressed in a pink shirt and blue jeans, snapped, “Do not touch or impede me in my lawful duties. Do you understand? It is a crime for you to do so.” Despite claiming to have a warrant, he refused to show it and threatened the women with arrest for “assault on a federal officer.”
Ultimately, the agents shoved the women aside and handcuffed their target before leaving. Nicholas Reppucci, a public defender at the Charlottesville office, confirmed that the agents never showed any identification or legal documents.
“It’s horrifying for the person being detained,” Reppucci told The Daily Progress. “It’s horrifying for the community members watching it.” One of the abducted men was his client. As of this writing, neither man’s location or legal status has been disclosed.
“I’ve been here since 1999, and I have not seen anything like this before,” Reppucci added.
US citizen imprisoned for 10 days by immigration agents rejects lies advanced by Homeland Security Department
In an interview with Judd Legum, author of the Popular Information Substack, 19-year-old Jose Hermosillo, a US citizen from New Mexico, recounted being detained by Customs and Border Protection for 10 days in a private prison despite his legal status.
On April 8, Hermosillo, visiting his girlfriend’s family in Tucson, Arizona, suffered a seizure and was taken to a hospital. Without his New Mexico state ID on him, he was left disoriented and lost after discharge. Seeking help, he approached a nearby Border Patrol officer.
“I saw a car, and I asked for help,” Hermosillo said. He told the officer he was from New Mexico and staying with family. Instead of helping, the officer demanded papers.
“You’re not from here. Do you have your papers?” the officer barked. When Hermosillo insisted he was American, the officer replied, “Don’t make me out like I’m stupid. I know you’re from Mexico.”
Despite repeatedly affirming his US citizenship, Hermosillo was arrested and held in the Florence Correctional Center. Days later, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed on X that Hermosillo admitted to being a Mexican national who had entered illegally. Hermosillo refutes this, stating that at no point did he say he was Mexican or undocumented.
Hermosillo acknowledged signing a DHS document that claimed he was a Mexican national who entered the US illegally, but he told Legum he never read it. He explained that he dropped out of school in the 10th grade and cannot read. According to Hermosillo, the border patrol agent never explained the contents of the document to him, only instructing him to sign it.
Inside Florence Correctional Center, Hermosillo said he was fed cold food and got the flu. “It’s cold in there and everybody’s getting sick,” he said, adding that requests for medicine were ignored.
He told guards repeatedly, “I’m a US citizen,” but was told, “Tell your lawyer.” Hermosillo spent his time crying, afraid he would never be released. “They’re not going to let me out,” he thought.
Georgetown postdoc Badar Khan Suri speaks out on kidnapping and poor conditions from inside Texas ICE facility
In his first interview since being abducted on March 17 outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri has spoken out about his detention and the grim reality inside US immigration facilities.
Suri is one of more than 1,730 international students and graduates who have had their visas revoked—not for crimes, but for alleged political views. He joins a growing list of detainees like Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, held without charge and facing deportation under Trump’s fascist immigration agenda.
Speaking with Nader Hashemi, director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, in an interview for New Lines Magazine, Khan Suri recounted his abduction by masked ICE agents after returning from a Ramadan dinner. He said the agents did not accuse him of any crime, but said he was being targeted because a senior-level person in the State Department “does not want you here.”
He was transported—shackled and chained—through multiple facilities in Virginia and Louisiana before arriving in Texas. At one point, he asked to be uncuffed to use the bathroom. The guard replied, “Not my problem.”
Suri described inhumane conditions: no more than two hours of fresh air per week, routine denial of medical care, psychological torment. Yet he continues to support fellow detainees by helping them write legal correspondence.
Despite not participating in any campus protests, Suri is accused by the Trump administration of “spreading Hamas propaganda and antisemitism” via social media. Married to a US citizen of Palestinian descent, Suri believes he is being targeted for his wife’s heritage and their political views.
Suri said that if his suffering can help “expose the naked authoritarianism in America today and keep the spotlight on the genocide in Gaza, it will be worth it.”