The Problem With Pete Buttigieg’s ‘Due Process’ Sermon

Former small city Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who left quite a mess for his successor at the Transportation Department, surprised many political observers recently by bowing out of both major 2026 statewide races in Michigan. He was widely expected to run for governor or United States Senate in his brand new ‘home’ state, which was seemingly selected because he determined that voters in his actual home state were too conservative to accommodate his ambitions.  For him to move to bluer pastures, only to sidestep a pair of big opportunities, fueled new speculation that he once again has his eyes set on a larger prize.  Being the chief executive of an upper Midwest state, or one of its Senators, is apparently insufficiently small potatoes for the ex-mayor, turned failed DNC chair candidate, turned failed presidential candidate, turned part-time Transportation Secretary and full-time Democratic pundit.  

Buttigieg, who has cultivated a new, edgier algorithmic identity, has grown a beard and spiced up his signature consultant syntax with some profanity (like many Democrats these days), appears to be revving up for another shot at the presidency.  This week, he found himself in — surprise! — Iowa, where he drew applause from a partisan audience for this little sermon about due process and the rule of law.

Let me first acknowledge that he’s of course correct that no single man or politician can simply declare someone else to be a criminal.  We thankfully do have a system that rightly requires due process.  But the case to which he’s referring, that of “Maryland Father” Kilmar Abrego Garcia, isn’t about anyone’s politicized say-so.  I’ll also concede, as I have previously, that the Trump administration should not have deported Garcia to El Salvador specifically, under a standing judicial order.  The administration even admitted this error in court documents.  To rectify the mistake, I think Garcia should be returned to the US, processed, and immediately deported elsewhere.  And that’s not because President Trump, or any other individual, simply decided and asserted that Garcia is a criminal.  He is a criminal, as has been adjudicated on multiple levels, by multiple judges.  

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ANOTHER NARRATIVE BUSTED: Texas Band’s Sob Story After ICE “Forcibly Removes” Their Drummer From Plane Backfires When The Truth of Drummer’s Violent Past Emerges

As multiple outlets have reported, Lord Buffalo, an Austin, Texas based rock band released a statement on Facebook announcing that their drummer, Yamal Said, was “forcefully removed” from their flight to Europe on Monday by Customs and Border Patrol officials. The plane was departing from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Due to this, they said their tour has been cancelled.

“We are heartbroken to announce we have to cancel our upcoming European tour,” the band wrote. “Our drummer, Yamal Said, who is a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States (green card holder) was forcibly removed from our flight to Europe by Customs and Border Patrol at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday May 12.”

“He has not been released, and we have been unable to contact him,” they added. “We are currently working with an immigration lawyer to find out more information and to attempt to secure his release.”

“We are hopeful that this is a temporary setback and that it could be safe for us to reschedule this tour in the future.”

The band later posted an update stating that they had secured legal representation for Said but reiterated that they had no clue why he had been taken into custody to begin with.

The liberal media happily went along with the narrative that an overzealous ICE had cruelly detained a hard-working immigrant. For example, here is how the far-left The Austin Chronicle spun the story.

However, it turns out that the Trump Administration had a good reason for taking Said away. The DHS noted on their X page, after the story went viral, that Said was a Mexican national with a sordid record.

Said had a warrant out for his arrest after violating a restraining order twice. He has since been turned over to local law enforcement.

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Gavin Newsom Scales Back Plan to Provide Illegal Aliens With Free Healthcare as California’s Financial Crisis Deepens

California Governor Gavin Newsom is scaling back his ludicrous pledge to offer free healthcare to all illegal aliens in the state.

His 2025–26 budget proposal, released Wednesday, includes a freeze on new Medi-Cal enrollments for adults without legal immigration status and imposes a $100 monthly premium for those already enrolled.

The freeze would begin in 2026, affecting new applicants over the age of 19.

According to Newsom’s office, the change will not impact those currently enrolled or those receiving limited emergency or maternity coverage.

The new premium would apply starting in 2027 to all adults with what the administration calls “unsatisfactory immigration status,” a term that includes both illegal aliens and certain legal residents ineligible for federal Medicaid.

Newsom’s office says the revised policy is necessary due to a $16 billion shortfall in state revenue, driven in part by ballooning Medi-Cal costs linked to his earlier expansions.

Rather than his own failings and the mismanagement of Democratic authorities, Newsom cited Trump’s decision to impose tariffs as justification for the shortfall.

“California is under assault,” Newsom said. “The United States of America, in many respects, is under assault because we have a president that’s been reckless in terms of assaulting growth engines.”

However, Newsom insisted that he was not cancelling the program altogether.

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DHS Warns AOC of Possible Arrest Over Potential Interference at ICE Facility Following Her Viral Threat

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has drawn a direct warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after suggesting she may take action similar to that which led to the recent arrest of a Democratic mayor outside an immigration facility.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, told Fox News that if Ocasio-Cortez attempts to interfere with federal immigration enforcement in the same manner as Democratic Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka, she could be subject to arrest.

“If she trespasses and if she assaults law enforcement officers, as we saw earlier, I think that’s certainly on the table,” McLaughlin said during an appearance on “The Bottom Line,” per Trending Politics.

“As far as we’ve heard, a lot of Democrats make the argument that they’re just conducting oversight, congressional oversight.”

The remarks follow the arrest of Baraka outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey, as Resist the Mainstream highlighted last week. 

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Deported Mother Who Took 2-Year-Old US Citizen Child With Her Drops Lawsuit Against Trump Admin

A lawsuit filed against the Trump administration alleging it deported an illegal immigrant and her 2-year-old U.S. citizen child to Honduras last month without due process is being dropped, lawyers for the child’s family confirmed on Tuesday.

The toddler, identified in court filings only as V.M.L., and her 11-year-old Honduran-born sister were kept with their mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela, who was arrested during a check-in appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Orleans.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigration Project filed a lawsuit against their deportations in April, claiming the toddler was held “incommunicado,” with ICE “refusing or failing to respond to multiple attempts by attorneys and family members to contact them.”

They further argued that the family did not have a fair opportunity to decide whether they wanted the children to stay in the United States.

The federal government has denied those claims.

Gracie Willis, one of the family’s lawyers, said on Tuesday that they have decided to dismiss the case to allow for “space and time to consider all the options that are available to them.”

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Dem Leader Warns Any Arrests Of Colleagues For ICE Breach Would Cross His ‘Red Line’

On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned against repercussions for his fellow Democrat lawmakers who clashed with federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, last week.

During an exchange with Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Jeffries repeatedly said “they’ll find out” when pressed what might happen if the House Democrats involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

Jeffries ultimately asserted that it would be a “red line” as the questions persisted. He also took a swipe at Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, who told CNN that arresting the Democrats in question was “definitely on the table,” pending an investigation.

“It’s a red line. It’s very clear,” Jeffries said. “First of all, I think that the so-called Homeland Security spokesperson is a joke. It’s a joke. They know better than to go down that road. And it’s been made loudly and abundantly clear to the Trump administration. We’re not going to be intimidated by their tactics.”

The Daily Wire reported that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who is running for New Jersey governor and is protesting the Delaney Hall facility, was arrested following the security breach last Friday. Alina Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, said he “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center.”

DHS said two House Democrats who joined Baraka that day — New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson-Coleman and Rob Menendez — “stormed the gate and broke into” the facility.

While the New Jersey Democrats insisted they were at Delaney Hall to conduct legitimate supervision, McLaughlin said in a post on X, “Members of Congress cannot break the law in the name of ‘oversight.’ All members & staff need to comply with facility rules, procedures, and instructions from ICE personnel on site. INCLUDING 24 hour notice.”

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DHS Releases Visitation Guidelines to Shut Down Democrat Narrative — Says Members of Congress “CANNOT Break the Law” at ICE Facilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has officially released a damning set of visitation guidelines for members of Congress and their staff visiting ICE detention centers — and it’s sending a loud and clear message to the left: you are not above the law.

This comes after Democrat members of Congress and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka stormed the ICE facility in Newark on Friday.

Democrat Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bob Menendez, and Bonnie Watson Coleman were all fighting for the release of dangerous criminal aliens.

Newark Mayor Baraka was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, but the Democrat lawmakers who engaged in riotous behavior have not been charged yet.

Democrat Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman ran to CNN to defend the criminal acts at the ICE facility.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to Rep. Bonnie’s lies by posting bodycam footage of the violent altercation as New Jersey Democrats stormed the ICE facility.

“Let’s check the tape,” the DHS said.

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DHS Probes Whether California’s Noncitizen Handout Program Is Paying ‘Ineligible Illegal Aliens’

The Trump administration is investigating whether California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), a program that pays state money to noncitizens who are not eligible for Social Security benefits because of their immigration status, is paying “ineligible illegal aliens.”

Noncitizens who are over 65, blind or disabled, and are ineligible for Social Security benefits — specifically Supplemental Security Income and State Supplementary Payment — due to their immigration status alone, can receive CAPI benefits. Those eligible can typically receive up to $1,206.94 a month, according to California Disability Benefits 101.

U.S. citizens are not eligible to receive CAPI. In July 2024 alone, CAPI paid 16,852 recipients, a state report shows.  

CAPI benefits are purportedly reserved for eligible noncitizens who are legally present in the U.S. or meet refugee criteria. However, ICE Homeland Security Investigations served a subpoena Monday to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, which administers CAPI, to “determine if ineligible illegal aliens received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration” from January 2021 to present.

According to the DHS, the subpoena requests applicant information, including name and date of birth, application copies, immigration status, and proof of ineligibility for benefits from the Social Security Administration.

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Congress advances $3.5 billion cut for CA for covering illegal immigrant health care

A new Congressional budget proposal would cut federal payments to California by $3.5 billion for allowing illegal immigrants to enroll in the state’s taxpayer-funded health care program.

California largely does not get federal reimbursements for illegal immigrant health care, though it is reimbursed for emergency care under a federal law requiring hospitals receiving federal funding to treat anyone in need of emergency medical attention.

The budget proposal would cut the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage to states that “use their Medicaid infrastructure to provide health care coverage for illegal immigrants under Medicaid or another state-based program.” The cuts would not impact emergency care reimbursements.

California has spent $9.5 billion this year on illegal immigrant health care and is reportedly set to face a $10 billion budget deficit the coming fiscal year.

According to an analysis Monday morning from California Policy Center Visiting Fellow Marc Joffe, cutting the federal reimbursement share from 90% to 80% would reduce California’s federal funding by $3.5 billion.

While the federal government does not reimburse the state for non-emergency care for illegal immigrants, other federal health care reimbursements enhance the state’s available resources for fully state-funded health care programs, such as coverage for illegal immigrants.

Joffee also noted the $3.5 billion cut equates to roughly the cost of coverage of five million beneficiaries at $7,000 per year.

In March, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a $6.4 billion emergency bailout for Medi-Cal. He said that while benefits for illegal immigrants had a “partial” impact, ending benefits for such individuals was not on his “docket” and that he believes in “universal healthcare.”

With an estimated 1.9 million illegal immigrants and $9.5 billion spent by Medi-Cal on their health care, the state is spending approximately $5,000 per illegal immigrant on health care this year.

Working illegal immigrants in California earn a median wage of $13 per hour — well below the state’s $18 per hour minimum wage — and thus pay up to $1,846 per year in state taxes, assuming all income is property reported and taxed, and all non-rent, post-tax funds are spent at businesses collecting sales tax.

That’s well short of the average of $5,000 spent on each illegal immigrant’s health care — not including other state programs — leaving the program highly reliant on other state revenue, including indirectly via federal funding, for support.

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House GOP Floats Proposal To Ensure Non-Citizens Do Not Receive Tax-Funded Food Stamps

House Republicans are proposing to bar most non-citizens from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits, including food stamps, in President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.”

GOP lawmakers are pursuing an extensive overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help offset the cost of the president’s tax priorities. The House Agriculture Committee will include a provision in their draft bill to restrict SNAP benefits to those who are citizens or lawful permanent residents following Republican Illinois Rep. Mary Miller’s request to the panel to prohibit certain non-citizens from receiving food stamps. 

“Taxpayer-funded benefits like SNAP are intended for Americans in need, not foreigners who break the law to enter this country,” Miller told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “That’s why I fought to include my proposal in the Agriculture Committee’s reconciliation plan, saving taxpayers up to $8 billion over the next decade and reversing Biden’s unlawful handouts given to millions of illegal aliens. I appreciate my colleagues on the committee for working with me to include this critical reform in President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

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